*By Max Godnick*
Nearly 150 survivors of Dr. Larry Nassar's sexual abuse accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYS on Wednesday night. The women, who call themselves "sister survivors," directly addressed their encounters with the former USA Gymnastics team doctor, who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in February.
"To all the survivors out there, don't let anyone rewrite your story," said Aly Raisman, the three-time Olympic gold medalist who was abused by Nassar. "We may suffer alone, but we survive together."
This group of womenー141 in totalーare the latest to inspire the ESPYS' audience. Traditionally, The Ashe Award honors risk-takers and survivors of traumas, which have ranged from illness to social prejudice. Previous winners include Caitlyn Jenner in 2015, Michael Samーthe NFL's first openly gay playerーin 2014, and news anchor and breast cancer survivor Robin Roberts in 2013.
"It was probably one of the biggest ESPY moments that we've ever seen," said Josh Hill, senior editor at FanSided, in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday.
The acceptance speech comes amid criticism that networks and athletes should "stick to sports" and not comment on polarizing social or political issues. In February, Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham told LeBron James to ["shut up and dribble"](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/19/587097707/laura-ingraham-told-lebron-james-to-shutup-and-dribble-he-went-to-the-hoop) after he criticized President Trump during an interview on ESPN.
The survivors' moment onstage was the most buzz-worthy part of an evening that mostly features awards such as "Best Team" and "Best Championship Performance." Hill said that those prizes, unlike the Arthur Ashe, fail to generate conversation because generally speaking, the ESPYS are "an award show that awards people for already winning awards."
"It's something that I think needed to happen," Hill said. "ESPN and sports in general can't just keep going on pretending like these things aren't issues."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/nassar-survivors-define-courage-at-the-espys)
LeBron James will serve his first-ever NBA suspension tonight against the New York Knicks after getting into an on-court squabble with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart. Stewart will also serve a two-game suspension for escalating the fight.
Jill and Carlo are a bit delayed today on account of Carlo's internet not working. Better late than never, they discuss what we know about the suspect in the Christmas parade crash, closing arguments in the Arbery killing trial, and more.
Special Olympics and WWE are announcing a three-year partnership extension of their global partnership to help create inclusion through sports. Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics and WWE superstar and Special Olympics Global Ambassador, Drew McIntyre join Cheddar News to talk about the announcement.
NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and his daughter/business partner Jaqui Rice Gold joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their energy drink G.O.A.T. Fuel. The pair talked about launching the brand during the height of the pandemic and what makes it different from competing brands. "The thing that separates us from the other energy drinks is we have cordyceps mushrooms in the drink," he said. "You're not going to have the jitters or anything like that." The duo also discussed the Los Angeles Lakers making it the official energy drink of its organization and what that means for the growth of the brand.
Jill and Carlo cover the developing story out of suburban Milwaukee, where a speeding SUV careened through a Christmas parade. Looters get more brazen in San Francisco, the missing Chinese tennis star resurfaces, and more.
Alternative asset, sports cards-focused platform Alt recently raised $75 million in a Series B round. Alt's platform lets users research, trade, and securely store sports cards and other high-value assets. Right now, the company has more than $70 million worth of cards in its vault. The company is also hoping to get into other assets, including NFTs. Alt CEO Leore Avidar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Ameeth Sankaran, CEO of the emmy-winning media company Religion of Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the "Man in the Arena: Tom Brady" docuseries that premiered on ESPN+ earlier this week. Sankaran noted Brady and former NFL star Michael Strahan as co-founders and discussed the origin of the company and its goal to tell stories about sports figures beyond their roles on the court or field.
A former live-in-chef for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has claimed the NFL star lied about his COVID vaccination status and obtained a fake proof of vaccination card. Brown and the Bucs have since come out denying the claims.
Jill and Carlo are back to cover the latest in the Rittenhouse trial, new information on the origins of Covid, return-to-office and more.
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Ben Stinar, NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation, joins Cheddar Bets to provide some one-month-in overreactions and underreactions to some of the NBA betting lines.
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