People Are Pissed That ESPN Is Giving USWNT Its 'Courage' ESPY Over Real-Life Hero Peyton Hillis

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As OutKick previously reported, ESPN is giving its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to the US Women's National Team during next month's ESPY Awards. ESPN chose the USWNT over former NFL running back Peyton Hillis.

According to an ESPN release, the award goes to a "member or group in the sporting world who makes a difference far beyond the field of play, impacting the world in indelible ways." 

There are plenty of reasons why this is a terrible decision, which I laid out in an earlier story. The most important part: how did women suing their employer for more money display "courage"?

Classy human Megan Rapinoe and her USWNT teammates are receiving ESPN's

Classy human Megan Rapinoe and her USWNT teammates are receiving ESPN's "Courage" ESPY over real-life hero, former NFL running back Peyton Hillis. (Screenshot: ESPY Awards)

From the previous article: "Fighting for equal play is great. Except, it was never really about 'equal pay.' Think about this: what if the USSF had said to the women’s team, 'Ok, you’re right. The pay needs to be equal. We’re going to lower the men’s pay so that it’s now equal to the women’s.' You think Megan Rapinoe would have said, 'Great! That was the whole point!'

"Of course not. They didn’t want 'equal pay,' they wanted 'more pay.' But 'Equal Pay' looks a hell of a lot better on a bumper sticker or a cardboard sign than 'We Want More Money.'"

Plus, the USWNT is now fighting to allow biological men into women's sports. Pretty hard to label them as "champions for women's sports" when they want men playing them.

All good reasons not to give them the award. But there's another, perhaps even better, reason.

ESPN gives "Courage" ESPY to USWNT over Peyton Hillis, despite Hillis showing, you know, actual courage

Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis displayed some actual courage when he jumped into the Gulf of Mexico to save his son and niece from drowning.

Hillis nearly died from the incident. But he survived. As did his son and niece, whom he heroically saved.

Peyton Hillis and Mo McRae attend

Peyton Hillis and Mo McRae attend "A League of Their Own" 25th Anniversary Game at the 3rd Annual Bentonville Film Festival. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival)

Not only that, but he fought through some crazy instincts to make sure he saved BOTH children and not just his own son.

“I think the scariest point was when I’m swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger,” Hillis told Good Morning America. “I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. If I didn’t then there’s no way she would’ve made it.”

Following his heroic act, Hillis spent two weeks in the hospital.

“It is 100 percent a miracle that someone didn’t die,” Hillis explained.

People on Twitter voiced their displeasure over ESPN's awful decision to give a "Courage" Award to the USWNT for filing a lawsuit over a former NFL running back who saved two lives.

Peyton Hillis saved two children from drowning.

Megan Rapinoe and her USWNT sued their employer to make more money.

Yeah, pretty easy to see why ESPN made the choice that they did.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.