ESPY Awards 2012: Date, Start Time, TV Schedule and More

With the 2012 ESPY Awards ceremony Wednesday, July 11, the time to figure out which stars had the greatest year and which famous athletes will walk away with the most hardware is upon us.

The ESPYs are always a fun time for the fans watching at home and live, but it’s even more fun for the hard-working athletes who get recognized by the fans for their dedication.

Wednesday’s action should be too great to miss.

Where: Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles

When: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 9 PM ET

Watch: ESPN

Host: Rob Riggle

Categories to Watch

Best Male Athlete: Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Verlander

Best Female Athlete: Brittney Griner, Maria Sharapova, Lindsey Vonn, Abby Wambach

Best Team: Alabama (college football), Baylor (women's basketball), Kentucky (men's basketball), Los Angeles Kings, Miami Heat, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals

Best Championship Performance: David Freese, LeBron James, Eli Manning, Tony Stewart

Best Breakthrough Athlete: Anthony Davis, Robert Griffin III, Rob Gronkowski, Jeremy Lin, Alex Morgan

Best Comeback Athlete: Sidney Crosby, Johan Santana, Maria Sharapova, Matthew Stafford

For the full list of the categories and nominees, check out the ESPN MediaZone or vote yourself at the ESPY page.

Predicting the Biggest Awards

Best Male Athlete: LeBron James

With the championship monkey off his back and a third career MVP award, there is little doubt that the love for LeBron James will be on full display Wednesday evening. While many don’t like James as a player or as a man, you have to give him credit for getting his ring.

Best Female Athlete: Brittney Griner

There is no more physical dominant force in women’s college basketball than Baylor center Brittney Griner. With the low-post presence of Shaquille O’Neal, Griner is the most dominant female basketball player in the world.

Best Team: Miami Heat

There is no more polarizing of an organization in all of sports right now than the Miami Heat. Add in a championship just a few weeks old, and there is little doubt which team will be the top one of the past year.

Best Championship Performance: LeBron James

Keeping on the same page, the redemption of James will continue as he receives an award many people thought he would never claim: best championship performance. With a title and plenty of momentum, James will need help carrying in all these new awards.

Best Breakthrough Athlete: Jeremy Lin

There is almost no question here, as I myself came down with Linsanity earlier in the year. This man went from barely making rosters to being one of the biggest international stars in one of the biggest markets in the world.

Best Comeback Athlete: Matthew Stafford

The NFL will finally get their love when the comeback player of the year is announced as Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. After multiple season-ending injuries to start his career, Stafford had an incredible season, posting 5,038 yards passing and 41 touchdowns.

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