The ESPY Awards Need A Dose of Reality

We must understand that the ESPY Awards are about having fun and entertaining an audience, while bridging the gap between sports and entertainment, but let's at least keep a little bit of our sanity through it all.

For that matter, let ESPN keep some of their dignity, as well.

For those who could not tell from the revealing of the winners of every category, the ESPY Awards are based on fan voting.

Think of it as the American Idol of sports and entertainment, except the person who wins usually has the most previous television commercials and/or is signed by Nike.

If the ESPY's are going to bridge the gap from just a happy-go-lucky, semi-serious awards show into a full-fledged event that stars from every sport yearn to be nominated for, they will stop fan voting or at least limit it to the categories no one cares about.

I tuned in to the ESPY's for a total of 10 minutes, which was 10 more than I was planning on, but quickly learned about two categories that through a flag on the play, if you will, to me and all other sports fans with half an unconcussed brain to work with.

They were the categories of Best NFL Player and Best College Athlete.

Again, I understand that this was a night of fun and amusement where everyone wins, but Jimmer Fredette was the winner of Best College Athlete?!

He wasn't even the best college basketball player, let alone the best player in all of college sports.

Everyone knows that Kemba Walker was the best college player, and I hope this blog is enough recognition for him because Fredette got to rub shoulders with Justin Timberlake.

For the Best NFL Player, it happens every year. The quarterback of the Super Bowl wins the Best NFL Player category.

Turns out, the best NFL player is Aaron Rodgers (as well as Best Male Athlete). News to me...

However, I guess it would be boring if Tom Brady and Peyton Manning switched off every year.

Honestly, I watched the ESPY's for two reasons. Being that I am a San Francisco Giants fan, I watched to see a quick cameo by the bearded Brian Wilson.

The other reason was that Erin Andrews was involved.

As usual, she was there for her journalistic professionalism.

ESPN's pulls on American sports and entertainment could make this awards show into one of the better events to watch all year. However, they choose to involve the fan vote in order to intrigue the audience. That way everyone wins.

Since when has that mattered in professional sports?

This could be an awards show that players care about, but that would not be as much fun, right?

However, we have winners like Fredette defeating a Heisman Award winner and a Player of the Year in college basketball.

ESPN has the tools needed to make this is a big ordeal. But until then, the audience will be turning in to see what Erin Andrews is wearing or what ridiculous joke Brian Wilson will tickle the crowd with -- not the athletes themselves.