The upcoming 2024 ESPY Awards ceremony is embroiled in controversy regarding the decision to honor Prince Harry with the prestigious Pat Tillman Award for Service. The annual ESPY awards show celebrates the greatest athletic achievements of the past year, and is typically a highly anticipated summer event in the sports calendar. However, this year’s ceremony has sparked significant backlash, with over 950 invited guests announcing they will boycott the event in protest of Harry receiving the Pat Tillman Award.
The Pat Tillman Award is given each year to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary courage, dedication, and a commitment to serving others. It is named after the former NFL player who tragically lost his life while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan in 2004. Past recipients of the award have included wounded veterans, heroic first responders, and inspirational community leaders – people who have made profound sacrifices and contributions to helping others.
The stated reason from the boycotting guests is that they feel Prince Harry is undeserving of such an honor, given his controversial public persona and actions in recent years. Critics argue that Harry has “turned his back on his family, his country, and his duty,” and is more interested in celebrity status and a lavish lifestyle than truly serving others. They contend that there are many other individuals who have made real sacrifices and done genuine good in the world, and that Harry does not belong in the same category as them.
Others have echoed similar sentiments, asserting that Harry’s various scandals and public disputes have overshadowed any charitable work he may have done. They point to his messy exit from the royal family, his tell-all memoir, and his ongoing feud with the British tabloid press as examples of behavior that are antithetical to the spirit of the Pat Tillman Award. One former U.S. Marine invited to the ESPYs stated that the award is meant to honor “selfless acts and a commitment to helping others,” whereas Harry’s behavior has been “anything but selfless” as he has primarily looked out for his own interests rather than the greater good.
However, supporters of Prince Harry have forcefully pushed back against these criticisms, arguing that his charitable work, particularly his efforts to support veterans and mental health initiatives, more than qualify him for the Pat Tillman Award. They highlight his co-founding of the Invictus Games, which has transformed the lives of wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, as well as his passionate advocacy for veterans’ issues on both sides of the Atlantic and his work to destigmatize mental health challenges.
Proponents also note that, unlike the late Pat Tillman who tragically died in combat, Harry served two tours of duty in Afghanistan as a soldier in the British army. While he did eventually step back from royal duties, they contend that his years of military service should not be overlooked, and that this type of veteran status commands respect, even if one may not agree with every decision he has made since then.
Ultimately, the decision to honor Prince Harry with the Pat Tillman Award has laid bare the deep divisions and differing perspectives surrounding the Duke of Sussex. While his supporters believe this award is a fitting recognition of his service and charitable work, his detractors feel he has forfeited the right to be mentioned in the same breath as the award’s namesake. The heated debate has even prompted hundreds of high-profile figures to boycott the ESPYs entirely in protest.
It remains to be seen how Prince Harry himself will respond to this controversy, but one thing is clear: his acceptance of the Pat Tillman Award is sure to be one of the most talked-about moments of the 2024 ESPY ceremony.
