There’s been a lot of back and forth over the last few weeks about the decision to give Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner) ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award. There’s no denying that Jenner showed courage taking that step to change gender identity. No matter how open-minded some may think society has become, there are still those who don’t hesitate to layer on the criticism. However, this time, I would agree with critics who say Jenner may not have been the best choice.
Like I said, it takes guts to paint a public target on your back and become willing to be the poster child for transgender rights. There was bound to be – and already has been – a lot of mud slinging and doubting of Jenner’s intentions. Some say she’s just looking for publicity. Others say that it’s not really bravery when you’re a famous celebrity. She would have to face all the sly remarks, the tweeted insults, and the ugly Facebook comments on her own. All of those would batter at the walls of her biggest insecurities and fears. Her newfound confidence could easily be broken if it takes one too many hits from the public.
In spite all of that, there’s a key aspect to this situation that maintains my opinion against her winning that award. Much of the criticism leveled at Jenner for the award hinges on the fact that the runner-up was Noah Galloway, an army veteran who lost an arm and a leg in an explosion while on active duty in Iraq. The highly criticized comparison first started as a tweet by Gerry Callahan and then became a meme that went viral on Instagram and twitter. Since then, an ESPN representative has publicly stated that that is untrue because there is no such thing as a runner-up for the award.
Fine, granted, everyone was slightly wrong. I say slightly because even though ESPN says there is no such thing as a runner-up (nor have they revealed details about their selection process), that doesn’t change the fact that Galloway would’ve been a prime candidate. With a prospect such as him, why choose Jenner?
Her transformation has put her in the media spotlight, meaning that there will be plenty of opportunities for her to cast a positive light on transgender issues, whereas Galloway’s only recognition came as a result of being a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and now this courage award situation.
He went through an entire bout of depression and alcohol abuse as a result of his amputations, but instead of letting it swallow him, he pulled himself back up. He turned his life around and instead became a personal trainer and motivational speaker. That’s on par with the kind of feats people like Terry Fox and Bethany Hamilton performed. Contrarily, Jenner went through the process of changing her gender identity and is now profiting from a TV show about it.
That’s one of the other issues. Jenner’s not bravely facing a lifetime of physical hardship with optimism moving forward. She’s dealing with some bad public backlash and yet making money from it because of the show. Galloway may be making money from his motivational speaking, but it’s of direct benefit to other people, unlike Jenner’s show. Plus, her show is on an entirely different level of financial gain.
According to the ABC network, the award is presented to individuals “whose contributions transcend sports.” So which athletic individual is contributing more: Jenner with her TV show or Galloway with his motivational speaking? He also maintained his athletic career by continuously competing in adventure races and mini-marathons.
I have nothing personal against Jenner. Her decision was likely not an easy one, and it will greatly support and encourage other individuals struggling with gender identity. The issue I have is comparison ratio of bravery when stacked against other potential award winners such as Galloway. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever have his own TV show to celebrate his accomplishments. I don’t know how ESPN made its decision to select Jenner, but I definitely question their process. Awards like that happen only once a year, so I think someone else may have deserved that spotlight a bit more than Jenner.
