History
ESPN, the sports television channel, began giving the ESPY awards in 1993. Although the name of the award was clearly inspired by the name of the network, it's also an acronym for "Excellence in Sports Performance."
Among sports awards, the ESPYs are unique in that they're presented on a live telecast patterned after such entertainment galas as the Academy Award and Emmy award presentations. The show was originally broadcast on ESPN (of course) in mid-February.
In 2002, the event was moved to July, so winners were honored for performances during a time period spanning about 18 months, rather than a single year.
Winners of major awards are selected by journalists, retired athletes, and sports executives. There are also various award categories on which television fans can vote after seeing film clips of the nominees.
Only the major award winners are listed here. Note that the year shown is the year in which the award was presented, for accomplishments of the previous year or season.