Interviews: ‘Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe And Sue Bird’ Talks The ESPY Awards Tonight

By James Lindorf

Tonight, the annual ESPY Awards, which would typically take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, will be a virtual presentation by way of Seattle. Seahawks star Russell Wilson will co-host the event remotely with Reign and USWNT star Megan Rapinoe and the Strom’s Sue Bird.

Today being father’s makes the night just a little more special for Russel, who is a soon to be father of three. Like the other significant moments in his life, Russel believes his father prepared him well. The latter sadly passed away ten years ago on June 9th. In a recent conference call with reporters, Wilson had this to say about the big day.

“You know, it’s going to be Father’s Day on the day of the ESPYs, and I think about what my dad meant to me, and I think about how far I’ve come and all the lessons he taught me.” “The lessons of how to throw a ground ball, how to always get up early and train hard, how to be the first one up — all the way through my education but, also, he taught me that the reality of what we’re going through right now in society is very real.” “In the midst of everything that’s going on, I’m grateful that I had a dad and a father figure that could prepare me for a moment like this.” “Just to be able to try to uplift people. And I think that he was the biggest light that was in my life, even though he passed away.” Wilson was, of course, referencing the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the country and the world.

When asked why fans should tune in after months without sports and amid the unrest, Rapinoe joked, “First of all, let’s be honest: We know you’re not watching anything else. There isn’t anything else on TV. You haven’t seen sports stars that are normally in the position of entertaining you at this time of year. That’s the first reason.”

Her second point took on a more serious tone. “I think athletes are always at this intersection of culture, and race, and gender, and sexuality, and fame, but also this kind of role model. There are few better people, to be honest, to talk about some of the issues we are having in our country, such as systemic racism, inequality, and how we are all dealing with COVID; our lives were turned upside down. It is a sports show and a sports award show, but we have a unique ability to pull all those threads together sports life culture, what’s happening with COVID, and what’s happening with the national uprising. Just pull it all together and really kind of talk to the American people.” Rapinoe said she hopes that sports fans will “watch us and join us and share in this moment with us.”

When asked about the unique logistics required to put on this year’s show, Sue Bird said, “Megan and I are together, we’ve basically been quarantining the whole time. We were able to shoot a lot of what you will see in the same room, which was nice. I think they will do some of their fancy TV magic to make it look like the three of us are in the same room. Russell shot where he is we shot where we were, but it still very much had the feel of a big-time show, you could sense the weight of a big-time show. That’s what is so exciting about it, yes, it is different. Yes, we are all going through so much right now, but that’s what makes this ESPY’s that much more special. For me, it is really exciting to be someone who can come in everyone’s living room and provide that fun aspect, that inspiration aspect, and the focus on sports, but there is a lot more going on that we will also touch on—all in all, its an honor.

The 2020 ESPYS will air June 21st on ESPN at 9 p.m. EST. The show will focus more on the athletes’ humanitarian efforts with extra attention going to top awards like the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Pat Tillman Award for Service, and the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.