ESPY Awards 2015: List of Nominees and Predictions for Event's Top Categories
The 2015 ESPY Awards won't hold back on a wide range of emotions befitting the sporting world.
There will be the serious in things like the Jimmy V Perseverance Award, which Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still will accept on behalf of his daughter, Leah. There will be the sarcastic via comedian Joel McHale, the host known for his gut-busting work on shows such as Community and The Soup.
Most of all, deserving awards will go out to some of the most familiar faces on the planet. Granted, all involved are worthy, or they wouldn't receive an invite.
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The eventual winners aren't easy to figure out, though, so let's take a look. The ESPYS start at 8 p.m. ET on July 15 on ABC.
ESPYS Predictions
| Best Male Athlete | Stephen Curry |
| Best Female Athlete | Serena Williams |
| Best Championship Performance | LeBron James |
| Best Breakthrough Athlete | Jordan Spieth |
| Best Record-Breaking Performance | Peyton Manning |
| Best Upset | Kansas City Royals Reach 2014 World Series |
| Best Game | Patriots vs. Seahawks Super Bowl |
| Best Team | United States Women's National Soccer Team |
| Best Coach/Manager | Steve Kerr |
| Best MLB Player | Mike Trout |
| Best NHL Player | Jonathan Toews |
| Best Fighter | Ronda Rousey |
| Best NFL Player | J.J. Watt |
| Best NBA Player | Stephen Curry |
| Best Comeback Athlete | Derrick Rose |
| Best Driver | Kevin Harvick |
| Best Jockey | Victor Espinoza |
| Best Bowler | Parker Bohn III |
| Best MLS Player | Robbie Keane |
| Best International Athlete | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Best WNBA Player | Skylar Diggins |
| Best Male Golfer | Jordan Spieth |
| Best Female Golfer | Stacy Lewis |
| Best Male Tennis Player | Novak Djokovic |
| Best Female Tennis Player | Serena Williams |
| Best Male College Athlete | Marcus Mariota |
| Best Female College Athlete | Breanna Stewart |
| Best Male Athlete With a Disability | Joe Berenyi |
| Best Female Athlete with a Disability | Becca Meyers |
| Best Male Action Athlete | Nyjah Huston |
| Best Female Action Athlete | Kelly Clark |
| Best Play | Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch |
Full list of nominees available at ESPN.com.
Predictions for Event's Top Categories
Best Male Athlete
Talk about a difficult decision.
One could roll with Stephen Curry and call it a day. The Golden State Warriors superstar ascended to face-of-the-league status this year by winning the MVP and bringing the first NBA title to the Bay in 40 years.
Then again, LeBron James could claim similar things. The King returned to Cleveland and led the Cavaliers to the Finals while leading anyone and everyone there in points, rebounds and assists despite the absences of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
Of course, football also has a say in the matter. Look at Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, the league MVP after 38 touchdowns against five interceptions and a whopping 112.2 passer rating.
Houston Texans defensive tackle J.J. Watt was a serious contender for MVP, though, and he is here as well. He was the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in league history with 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, 10 swatted passes, 59 tackles and five total touchdowns between offense and defense.
When it comes right down to it, recency bias will play a role, which means Curry will win. James didn't win a title despite his superhuman effort, Rodgers' performance was too long ago and if Watt couldn't reel in MVP, he won't nab this one, no matter how much he deserves it.
Expect the fans to go with Curry.
Prediction: Stephen Curry
Best Female Athlete
This one is more difficult to figure out than the male counterpart.
There is Ronda Rousey, of course, who continues to take down opponents in record time. Literally—she beat Cat Zingano in 14 seconds, the fastest UFC title fight in history.
Joining Rousey is another familiar face, Breanna Stewart, who led the UConn Huskies and was the 2015 Naismith Player of the Year.
Lindsey Vonn has quite the impressive resume, too. An ACL tear kept the skier out of the Sochi Olympics, but she returned to prominence and set a new world record with 67 World Cup wins.
Serena Williams figures to run away with the award, though. The reliable veteran, whom some would classify as a legend, breezed past the competition en route to wins at last year's U.S. Open and this year's Australian and French Open events.
Like all the awards, each contestant deserves it. Williams, though, continues to churn along as one of the most recognizable faces in the world, and fans will recognize her for it.
Prediction: Serena Williams
Best Breakthrough Athlete
As fun as it is to vote on the recognizable faces, it's even better to add new ones to the list via the Best Breakthrough Athlete award.
If folks still don't know who Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants is, they will get to know the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in a hurry. The LSU product set the records for most receptions and receiving yards over the first 12 games of his career.
Folks should also get to know Mo’ne Davis, if they haven't already. She won the hearts of the nation by becoming the first girl to not just win a game in the Little League World Series but to pitch a shutout.
She has worked with the Boston Red Sox as well:
Cardale Jones of Ohio State also held the attention of the nation in the inaugural College Football Playoff by stepping in when the two quarterbacks in front of him went down. He not only won the title but also chose to stay with the team instead of turning pro.
To his credit, Jones doesn't think he will win the award. He told Northeast Ohio Media Group's Bill Landis that his best play is in front of him: "I voted for Odell Beckham. I don't think the three games I played were that good of games (sic). I don't think I played to my full potential."
Jones might be on to something, as there doesn't seem to be any stopping Jordan Spieth.
Spieth, 21, not only won the Masters this year but also bested the field at the U.S. Open. He has the look of an unstoppable force going into the British Open and leads the PGA Tour in total strokes gained and scoring average, according to PGATour.com. He might seize the No. 1 world ranking soon, too.
It seems Spieth's star status has been brewing for quite a while. It will boil over at this year's ESPY Awards.
Prediction: Jordan Spieth
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