NBC sportscaster Bob Costas blasted ESPN for its decision to give Caitlyn Jenner the 2015 ESPY award for courage. Costas accused the network of "tabloid play" and indicated awarding Jenner the 2015 Arthur Ashe Courage Award was nothing more than an exploitative publicity stunt to boost ratings.
Costas didn't mince words when the subject of Jenner winning the Arthur Ashe award came up Tuesday on "The Dan Patrick Show."
Via Deadspin:
"I wish Caitlyn all the happiness in the world and all the peace of mind in the world. However, it strikes me that awarding the Arthur Ashe award to Caitlyn Jenner is just a crass exploitation play. It's a tabloid play. In the broad world of sports, I'm pretty sure they could have found-and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner - I'm pretty sure they could have found someone who was much closer to actively involved in sports, who would have been deserving of what that award represents.
"That's not to say that it doesn't take some measure of personal courage to do what Caitlyn Jenner has done, but I think that every year we look across the landscape of sports, and we find prominent people and kids in high school and amateur athletes who I think more closely fit the description of what they're looking for or should be looking for there. And I think this is a play to pump up audience the way lots of things are put on television, to attract eyeballs, not because of the validity, but because of whatever the kind of gawker factor is."
Costas also suggested Jenner's link to the popular "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reality TV series, which is about his family, played a big part in Jenner winning the Arthur Ashe award.
While Costas may not agree with ESPN's decision, Jenner does have ties to the sports world. Long before he became a reality TV star, Jenner was a world-class athlete who captured the national spotlight after winning a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics.
