Arthur Ashe Courage Award Given To GMC Trucks

LOS ANGELES--At the 12th annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award was presented to GMC Trucks, in recognition of their selfless sponsorship of ESPN and the ESPY Awards. An emotional Rick Wagoner, CEO of GMC, accepted the award on behalf of the company, saying he was “humbly honored” by the notable recognition.

“Wow, this is really quite a surprise,” said Wagoner. “I know this is a very prestigious award and it’s been given to some pretty classy people in the past, so we were just happy to be nominated. We’re proud of our partnership with ESPN in bringing the world 24-hour sports coverage, as well as countless hours of GMC truck commercials. And I’d like to send a special tribute out to Arthur Ashe, who truly was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. ”

GMC beat out several worthy nominees for the award, including UNICEF Ambassador George Weah, Africa’s all-time greatest soccer star; Pat Tillman, NFL player who lost his life serving in Afghanistan; and Lance Armstrong, 5-time Tour De France winner. Wagoner speculated that it was GMC’s commitment to excellence that gave it the nod over the other nominees.

“Those are all wonderful nominees, but you can’t deny our track record of quality and innovation,” said Wagoner. “For example, the 2004 Yukon comes with All Wheel Drive and Standard Vortec 4800 V8 engine. As you can see from our commercials on ESPN, it’s perfect for driving up mountains or taking the kids to soccer practice. And, of course, all our vehicles are Professional Grade. Take that, Pat Tillman.”

Ashe, an African-American tennis player who was diagnosed with the AIDS virus, was a beacon of hope and perseverance to all he touched. The award created as a way to honor his memory, and recognize others who display the same exemplary character traits.

When the winner of the Ashe Award was announced, the crowd at the ESPY's gave a long, appreciative ovation to Wagoner and his corporation, GMC. Wagoner stood at the podium, grasping the golden trophy and trying to contain his emotions as the ovation continued for over two minutes.

“That was a really emotional moment for me and for everyone else at GMC,” said Wagoner. “We’ve worked real hard all year, and to be recognized like this is truly amazing. Standing in front of an A-List of Hollywood celebrities, as well as Jamie Foxx, was something I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to go home and tell all my friends what their favorite celebrities and sports stars were wearing. That’s how gay I am.”

GMC was not the only corporation to take home an ESPY Sunday night. Several other companies, all ESPN sponsors, were honored as well. Gatorade took home the award for best sports drink, Lotrimin Ultra won for best athlete’s foot medication, and Under Armour took home the coveted Most Frightening Corporate Spokesman Award.

“The ESPY’s are a great place to honor athletes and corporate sponsors,” said Walsh. “These companies display so much courage, commitment, and generosity day in and day out, and we never get a chance to properly honor them. They give and they give and they give, and what to do they ask in return? Just to have their name and logo plastered on every square inch of America. Truly, the spirit of Arthur Ashe is alive and well in GMC Trucks.”

As if the ESPY’s weren’t special enough for Wagoner, his company was also given the prestigious and highly contested GMC Professional Grade Award for their superior performance in the field of truck making and ESPN-sponsoring.

“Indeed, this night belonged to GMC Trucks,” said Dan Patrick, during his recap of the ESPY’s. “A gallant an inspirational corporation that has helped make ESPN the worldwide leader in sports has finally been recognized and I, for one, think it was long overdue. They beat out some tough competition, too: Steve McNair, Jeremy Roenick, Annika Sorenstam, even that dumb bitch who got her arm chewed off by the shark. They were all passed over for GMC, and you know why? They pay us $200,000 per 30-second spot, that’s why. If Arthur Ashe gave us that kind of money, we would’ve named the whole damn show after him.”