Spelling Bee champion, mental health awareness topics of conversation on ESPYS red carpet

SPELLING BEE CHAMPION, MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TOPICAL ON ESPYS RED CARPET

The ESPYS returned to New York for the first time since the last millennium.

While the awards show honors the best in sports and humanitarian achievement, it was academic achievement and mental health awareness that dominated the conversation on the rooftop red carpet Saturday night (10 JULY2021).

Host Anthony Mackie invited 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde to the event after she became the first African American to win the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Before the festivities, she walked the red carpet and spoke of the honor, and her commitment to help other girls and minorities.

"The real significance, not jokingly, is like being the first African American to win. And also, I believe, evening out the girls to boys' ratio at Scripps is like really cool to me because I really would like to motivate lots of African American children and Hispanics too, just minorities who have been pushed out," Avant-garde said.

Wise beyond her years, Avant-garde recalled past competitors who were not treated fairly because of their skin color.

"Jody-Anne Maxwell, she was from Jamaica. And then there's another girl from the 30s whose name was MacNolia Cox, and she got fifth place. But it was so controversial because the spelling bee people might (have) cheated her because she was African American. And then there was also her parents couldn't stay at the hotels because of segregation," she said.

The New Orleans native says she's fortunate.

"I'm really glad this time my family got to stay at the hotel, which is just so much more comfortable and that I was able to win," she said.

Mackie was impressed by her determination.

"She made it on one day's notice. I heard she's looking cute. She has on a cute little dress and she's repping the city well. So, I'm excited to bump into her sometime tonight," Mackie said.

Mackie, best known for his role in Marvel's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was so impressed with her, he made arrangements for her to come to New York and be a part of the show.

Country star Kane Brown, who recently hosted the CMT Awards, was a presenter at the ESPYS, and got to see one of his hometown heroes.

"I'm just excited to see all the players. I saw Derrick Henry coming in here. He's from Nashville, where I'm at. So, I was excited to see him," Brown said.

More serious conversation revolved around mental health issues.

Recently, Naomi Osaka, the world's number two ranked women's tennis player withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon after revealing she suffers from social anxiety and depression. And NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers was candid about his mental health struggles in a recent interview.

Former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Kurt Warner applauds athletes that step forward.

"I love that we've got a bunch of heroes out there that are going, 'Hey, this is an issue. Make sure you address it. Make sure you get the help that you need, because we're all dealing with different mental things throughout our journey," Warner said alongside his presenting partner Zachary Levi.

Rob Gronkowski believes that maintaining your mental health is essential for athletes.

"No matter what position you're in, because you're dealing with a lot out there, not just on the field, but off the field. So, I feel like to have longevity, to work on your mental health and physical health is what keeps you going and keeps you in the right place. So, it's crucial."

Olympic gold medal skier Mikaela Shiffrin believes part of the problem is that people don't always understand that athletes suffer from the same issues.

"The expectation that you don't struggle with the same things that every single person struggles with, like being tired or having a bad day, or having mental health issues or anything. So, I think it's important to just - that, that people are talking about it and then it just feels like it makes it right."

Other athletes and celebrities walking the red carpet included Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith, Super Bowl running back Ronald Jones II, and WNBA star Betnijah Laney.