Kevin Love to Receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at ESPYs
Kevin Love Will Receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award For His Advocacy For Mental Health
When Kevin Love wrote an essay for The Players' Tribune in 2018 detailing his experience with anxiety and a panic attack on the court, it changed the way the NBA viewed the need for mental health services for players. Now, he'll receive the esteemed Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2020 ESPY Awards being held virtually from Los Angeles for his advocacy.
"It is an absolute honour to receive this award and I am incredibly humbled by it," the Cleveland Cavaliers forward said in a statement ahead of the event on Sunday. "In telling my story, if I can help just one child that is suffering to make sense of what they are experiencing, I know my efforts have been worth it. And I hope one day we are able to erase the stigma around mental illness, starting with public conversations around mental health and encourageing people to seek help when they need it, followed by research, action, and change."
Love's poignant essay two years ago raised the question of why sports leagues have top-of-the-line medial professionals on standby to help with all types of physical injuries, but at the time, no required system in place to deal with emotional struggles, which is just as critical in a player's ability to conduct themselves on the court. While the 2019-2020 NBA season has been on hold since March due to coronavirus, the NBA previously implemented mental health guidelines requiring that teams have their own licenced professionals available, as well as a licenced psychiatrist available as needed.
Not only has he greatly contributed to the conversation of erasing the stigma surrounding mental health for professional athletes, but Love has also dedicated his time off the court to his organisation, The Kevin Love Fund, which "strives to inspire people to live their healthiest lives while providing the tools to achieve physical and emotional well being." Past recipients of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award have included Billie Jean King, Bill Russell, the survivors of sexual abuse under USA Gymnastics, Caitlyn Jenner, Muhammad Ali, and more. Congratulations on the much-deserved honour, K. Love!
