Featured Image Credit: Frazer Harrison / Staff via Getty Images
Topics: Award Shows, Serena Williams, Sports
Syeda Khaula Saad
Topics: Award Shows, Serena Williams, Sports
Sports fans and tea spillers, it’s your time to shine. The 2024 ESPY Awards were everything you could hope for and not just because of the glitz, glam, and Serena Williams’ 16 jaw-dropping outfit changes. Venus and Serena Williams, along with comedic genius Quinta Brunson, took center stage to champion female athletes while hilariously roasting Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. And trust us, it was comedy gold.
Before we dive into the details, let’s set the stage. Harrison Butker is the placekicker (this doesn’t even sound like a real position to me) for the Kansas City Chiefs, known for his impressive field goals and, unfortunately for him (and us for having to hear them), some controversial off-field remarks. How controversial, you ask? Well, his May commencement speech at Benedictine College included jabs at the LGBTQ+ community, working women, and abortion rights.
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No seriously, he called Pride Month a “deadly sin,” and said he bet that most of the women (who are literal graduates) were probably most excited about finding a husband and having children. Oh and he did all this while quoting a Taylor Swift song.
Of course celebrities, fans, and even the NFL were upset by the comments and spoke out against him. So, when he attended the ESPYs, he probably didn’t expect to be the punchline of the night. Excuse me while I go play the world’s smallest violin.
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Enter Venus and Serena, flanking the much shorter but no less fab Quinta. They kicked off their segment by celebrating the incredible year women’s sports have had. Quinta highlighted historic firsts like the Texas Rangers winning their first World Series and the Florida Panthers snagging their first Stanley Cup. And Serena, always ready with a zinger, added, “And, according to sports media, this is the first [year] ever that women played basketball.”
Along with the laughs, they also encouraged people to get as invested in women’s sports as possible — you know, the way you would with any sports.
But of course, Serena added, “Except you, Harris Butker, we don’t need you.” And Quinta, who knows how to never miss a comedic beat quickly added, “At all, like, ever.” Ouch. And even though the camera didn’t pan to Butker, my hope is that he was in tears — or at least just super embarrassed and uncomfortable (as he should be).