ESPYs 2015: Nominees and Predictions for Event's Biggest Awards

With the ESPYs connecting the entire sports world, many of the awards given out provide a chance to truly judge the best of the best.  

NBA fans know all about LeBron James, while NFL fans have seen plenty of big plays from Aaron Rodgers, but who is better at his respective sport? Whether you agree with the results or not, these awards create plenty of debate surrounding the top athletes in the world.

While you can view the entire list of nominees at ESPN, here is a breakdown of the most prestigious trophies set to be given out July 15.

Best Team

Team	League/Sport
New England Patriots	NFL
Connecticut Huskies	NCAA Women's Basketball
Golden State Warriors	NBA
Chicago Blackhawks	NHL
Ohio State Buckeyes	FBS
U.S. Women's Soccer	Women's Soccer

There are clearly a lot of great choices on this list, as each of them proved they were great in their respective sport.

National fans might be tired of seeing repeat winners like the New England Patriots, Chicago Blackhawks or even the UConn women, but all of them worked hard to get back into a position to add to their great history. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes were relative surprises in their sport, although they had as dominant of a run in the postseason as anyone on this list. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors had one of the best seasons in NBA history from start to finish.

Still, the best team might have been the most recently crowned champions. The United States women's national team put on a show at the World Cup, not only winning but also truly putting itself in the conversation for the best ever.

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated discussed the individual awards received after the final:

The World Cup final was what really stood out as Team USA got out to a 4-0 lead in the first 16 minutes and eventually won 5-2. The squad made an elite opponent in Japan look lost on the pitch, something few other teams on the list can say.

All of those on this list have a reasonable argument, but the recency bias might be enough to put the national team over the top.

Prediction: U.S. Women's Soccer

Best Female Athlete

Player	Sport
Ronda Rousey	MMA
Breanna Stewart	Women's College Basketball
Lindsey Vonn	Skiing
Serena Williams	Tennis

This is a tough call because two women on this list are truly setting a new gold standard of excellence. Lindsey Vonn and Breanna Stewart are the best at what they do, but they are not anywhere near as dominant as both Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams.

Rousey has put women's MMA on the map, and she is almost too good to make things interesting. Not only has she won all 11 of her fights by either knockout or submission, but the last two bouts also have lasted just 30 seconds combined.

Despite this dominance, Williams still has the slight edge for her ability to be equally as dominant in a much deeper sport. There is a long history of elite female tennis players, yet the 33-year-old veteran is breaking new ground well past what should have been her prime.

Williams recently took home the Wimbledon championship, marking four Grand Slams in a row. Amazingly, this led to a rather nonchalant response from the champion:

WTA also notes just how good she has been compared to the rest of the field:

Rousey would deserve this trophy in a lot of years, but Williams is truly the best female athlete in the world.

Prediction: Serena Williams

Best Male Athlete

Player	Team (League)
Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors (NBA)
LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers (NFL)
J.J. Watt	Houston Texans (NFL)

Each of these men is clearly among the best at what they do.

Aaron Rodgers had an outstanding season as he continues to make a claim as the best quarterback in the league, although J.J. Watt was so dominant he almost won the league's Most Valuable Player award. This would have been an incredible feat considering not only he is a defensive player, but his Houston Texans also didn't even make the playoffs.

LeBron James also showed just how good he can be while averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists during the NBA Finals.

However, no one had quite as good of a year as Stephen Curry, as you can see in this highlight video:

He was named the regular-season MVP and is the only one of these men who brought home a championship. This clearly separates him from the pack, and he deserves an ESPY for the Best Male Athlete of the Year.

Predicted Winner: Stephen Curry

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