Champions

I watched the ESPY Awards show last night because I am a sports fan and I love this stuff.  It proved to be an important, dramatic, and incredibly moving look at our American selves.  The evening began with four of our superstar basketball players, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Paul, urging their fellow athletes to become more socially and politically active.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award went this year posthumously to Zaevion Dobson.  Zaevion was a 15 year old football star.  He was hanging out with friends when they were caught by gunfire.  He shielded the girls with his body -- saving their lives while losing his own.  His mother gave a stirring speech as she accepted the award.  Arthur Ashe died during the AIDS epidemic.  This is our American story now.

Craig Sager, the TNT broadcaster, who is battling leukemia, received the Perseverance Award.  I wish we could fight racism and gun violence with the unity and purpose we address to cancer.