I got bored one day and I was browsing around the Internet. I was looking at ESPN.com and clicked on a link to go vote for the upcoming ESPY awards. This was more to see who was nominated for all the categories than to actually cast a vote. I remember thinking that some of the nominations seemed a little weird.
One example is the San Antonio Spurs’ own Tony Parker for “Best NBA Player.”
Now I’m not going to argue that Tony Parker didn’t have an MVP caliber season. He played amazing all season long, but everyone knows that the ESPY’s are just a big popularity contest. Anything that relies on votes from the general population becomes about who the favorite is, not about skill level, and even Spurs fans know that outside of San Antonio (and France), Tony Parker is not the most well-liked guy.
The other five guys nominated, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo, all have appeal outside their respective markets. Yes, I know LeBron is one of the most hated players in all of sports, but he also has the distinction of being one of the most polarizing, meaning there are also a whole lot of people that love him. The same goes for Kobe.
But I can’t say that a lot of people will be voting for Tony Parker. I don’t think they release the final numbers but I wouldn’t be surprised to see TP come in last. Honestly, I think they should have just cut it off at Kobe, LeBron and Durant.
What do you guys think? Will TP get any of the votes and should he have even been nominated?
