Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker became the butt of a joke at the ESPY Awards ceremony Thursday night that celebrated excellence among sports.
ESPN broadcaster Pat McAfee also drew some shade.
The annual Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards produced by ESPN praised Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley, and JuJu Watkins among the honorees on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Host Serena Williams, joined by sister Venus Williams and Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson, offered a brief tutorial on how to appreciate and enjoy women’s sports.
“LeBron wants to win with his son on his team. I won with my daughter in my belly. I think we know which one is way more impressive,” Serena told the audience. She won the Australian Open in 2017 while secretly pregnant.
“That was two against one and it wasn’t fair,” Venus chimed in.
As a spectator, you can call the athletes “athlete,” “champion” or even “dumbass,” they told the audience. “Just don’t use the B-word,” they said in unison – an apparent dig at McAfee, who apologized for calling Clark a “white b—- from Indiana.”
“So go ahead and enjoy women’s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports,” Venus said.
“Except for you, Harrison Butker. We don’t need you,” Serena said, looking right into the camera and drawing laughs from the audience.
“At all. Like ever,” Quinta added.
Harrison stirred controversy in May for remarks he made about women during a commencement address at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas.
During his 20-minute address, Harrison, known for his conservative Catholic beliefs, blasted the Biden administration’s position on the reversal of Roe v. Wade and ripped Pride Month as a celebration of a deadly sin.
As for women, Harrison said most who were receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children.
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he added in his speech.
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” Harrison said. “I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
She has embraced “one of the most important titles of all. Homemaker,“ Harrison told the audience.
The criticism that arose after his address prompted the NFL to issue a statement condemning his remarks.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” said Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
-by Robert Higgs
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