ESPY Awards 2015 Results: Winners and Top Moments from Show

With the MLB in an All-Star break and the other major American sports on a hiatus as well, ESPN's ESPY Awards generally step in during the lull in mid-July to satiate sports fans' need for content. This year continued the tradition, though the festivities on this occasion were particularly inspiring. 

Let's break down the award winners and top moments from the evening.

Category	Winner
Best Male Athlete	Stephen Curry
Best Female Athlete	Ronda Rousey
Best Championship Performance	LeBron James
Best Breakthrough Athlete	Mo'ne Davis
Best Record-Breaking Performance	Peyton Manning
Best Upset	Mississippi Over Alabama
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	Aaron Rodgers
Best NBA Player	Stephen Curry
Best Comeback Athlete	Rob Gronkowski
Best Driver	Kevin Harvick
Best Jockey	Victor Espinoza
Best Bowler	Jason Belmonte
Best MLS Player	Robbie Keane
Best International Athlete	Leo Messi
Best WNBA Player	Maya Moore
Best Male Golfer	Jordan Spieth
Best Female Golfer	Lydia Ko
Best Male Tennis Player	Novak Djokovic
Best Female Tennis Player	Serena Williams
Best Male College Athlete	Marcus Mariota
Best Female College Athlete	Missy Franklin
Best Male Athlete with a Disability	Krige Schabort
Best Female Athlete with a Disability	Becca Meyers
Best Male Action Athlete	Ryan Dungey
Best Female Action Athlete	Kelly Clark
Best Play	Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch

Devon and Leah Still Awarded Jimmy V Perseverance Award

The relationship between NFL player Devon Still and his daughter, Leah—a five-year-old with cancer—continues to be one of the most touching and inspiring stories in all of sports, and the pair was awarded with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

"I just want to thank you," Still told his daughter, who couldn't attend the ceremony after recently undergoing chemotherapy, as he accepted the award. "From the moment you [were] born, you molded me into the man I am today. I always used to dream about how I was going to be able to show you so much about life, but in the five years I've been with you, you've taught me more about life than I could ever do."

Leah did appear on a prerecorded message, resilient as ever.

"Sorry I couldn't be here everybody, but thank you for supporting me while I beat up cancer," she said.

It's hard to imagine there were many dry eyes in the audience after that. From the Cincinnati Bengals supporting Still during this trying time to the bravery both father and daughter have shown, this story continues to be a touching reminder both of the fragility of life and the power of the human spirit. 

We're all rooting for you, Leah. We know you're going to beat up cancer once and for all. 

Danielle Green Awarded Pat Tillman Award for Service

While perseverance was one theme of the night, sacrifice was another. And nobody exhibited sacrifice quite like Danielle Green, the former Notre Dame basketball player who lost her arm serving her country in Iraq in 2004 after a grenade attack and was awarded the Pat Tillman Award for Service.

Green now serves as a readjustment therapist at the veterans' center in South Bend, Indiana, so she has used her own adversity to help guide and support veterans with similar issues. To not be defined or limited by a devastating injury like losing one's arm shows true strength; to use that circumstance to relate to others in a similar position to help them recover is truly admirable. 

Caitlyn Jenner Awarded Arthur Ashe Courage Award

Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner—formerly known as Bruce Jenner—doesn't want to be considered a hero or thought of as being special or anything of the like. She simply wants others who are transgender, especially kids, to feel like they aren't alone.

“Trans people deserve something vital: They deserve your respect,” Jenner said. "And from that respect comes a more compassionate community, a more empathetic society and a better world for all of us."

She added, "If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead, because the reality is, I can take it. But for the thousands of kids out there, coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it.”

Here she is accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, via ESPN on Twitter:

Jenner chose to transition into the person she always felt she was. That takes courage. It takes courage to do that in the public eye, especially when considering the issues faced by the transgender community. It takes courage to be one of the faces of a community, which Jenner did when she publicly announced her transition.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN certainly thought Jenner was courageous: 

This year's ESPY Awards were a reminder, then, that ultimately it isn't the games that really matter, but rather the people who play them—or have played them—who do.