ESPY Awards 2017: List of Nominees and Predictions for Event's Top Categories

Legendary NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is set to host the 2017 ESPY Awards on Wednesday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It's the 25th edition of the annual sports award show, which crowns the Best Team, Best Female Athlete, Best Male Athlete and numerous other honors.

Manning feels like a perfect fit for host, a position previously held by a wide range of celebrities, comedians and athletes, including Justin Timberlake, Jon Hamm and LeBron James. His successful appearances on Saturday Night Live set the stage for some funny skits.

Let's check out all of the important details for Wednesday's star-studded showcase. That's followed by predictions for the top awards of the night.

Key Information

Where: Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles

When: Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Nominees: Award Finalists

Predictions for Top Awards

Best Team: Chicago Cubs

The Golden State Warriors, who nearly completed an entire run through the NBA playoffs without losing a game, were the most dominant team in sports over the past year. But ending a 108-year World Series drought is a completely different animal.

Chicago capped its memorable journey with an 8-7 extra-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series. It had previously knocked off the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League portion of the playoffs.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon told Bill Whitaker of CBS News taking the team's history head-on rather than trying to hide from it was a key to success.

"I talked about pressure and expectations as being positives. And they are. Embrace it. Embrace the target. Embrace the pressure. Embrace expectations," he said. "Because if you do, you could end up winning the first World Series in 108 years in Chicago."

The Warriors' season was outstanding, and the same could be said for all of the other nominees, but a burden that dates back more than a century creates a special kind of pressure. That's why the Cubs' ability to finally bring a title back to the diehard fanbase is worthy of being named Best Team.

Best Female Athlete: Simone Biles

Biles and Katie Ledecky took the 2016 Summer Olympics by storm with their extraordinary performances in gymnastics and swimming, respectively. In most cases, they didn't just win the gold medal, they left their opponents so far in the rear-view mirror it wasn't much of a competition.

Such performances in the Games are often not given enough attention. Yes, it's a victory and a place atop the podium, but it's so much more. Romping the best competition from around the globe on the biggest stage in an individual sport is unique greatness.

Sometimes it even surprises the competitors themselves, as shown in comments Biles made after completing her four-gold, one-bronze stay in Rio, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post.

"It's pretty insane," she said. "What I've accomplished in my first Olympics, I'm very proud of myself. I don't know. It's crazy."

Biles gets the nod over Ledecky, Serena Williams and Candace Parker. But there isn't really a wrong choice in the group.

Best Male Athlete: Michael Phelps

It's hard to say anything unique about Phelps at this stage of his illustrious career. He's been racking up medals at a ridiculous rate since the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and, after coming out of retirement, didn't miss a beat last summer in Rio.

He captured five more gold medals and another silver to bring his overall Olympic total to 28, which is 10 more than Larisa Latynina for the most in history. It almost makes you feel bad for all the swimmers forced to compete in the same era as the Baltimore native.

Of course, the question is whether Phelps could return from his latest retirement in 2020. He told Paul Newberry of the Associated Press in April he's waiting to see if the "itch" will return, but for the time being he's been happy with being away from competition.

"I'm having so many amazing experiences, so many cool experiences, with my family," he said. "I don't see myself making a comeback. I have no desire right now to do it. I'm in the second chapter of my life. I have a lot of things I now want to accomplish. I'm realizing that more and more. This is a really cool opportunity for me to do some things I was not able to do when I was swimming."

It's borderline shocking that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady isn't included given his play during the team's latest Super Bowl season. But without that added competition this could be one of the last major awards of Phelps' decorated career.