Robin Roberts: ESPN will give “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts the Arthur Ashe Courage award during the ESPYs.
Robin Roberts, the anchor with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” will get ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage award during the 2013 ESPYS in July, the network said on Tuesday.
The award is handed out to people whose contributions transcend sports, said ESPN. Former award winners include Dean Smith, Muhammad Ali, Pat Summitt, and Billie Jean King.
The awards have also honored Nelson Mandela, the former South African leader, and the four men who tried to stop one of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackings.
Roberts was one of the first female sports anchors on ESPN during the early 1990s and has blazed “a trail for women in broadcasting,” ESPN said.
[Related: Ann Curry Tweet to Robin Roberts was Blocked by NBC, Report Says]
The network also cited her tenacity in battling two life-threatening illnesses twice. Last year, Roberts overcame with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood disease.
“Robin brings an amazing amount of energy, compassion and determination to everything she does,” ESPN president John Skipper said. “Those qualities made her an incredible asset during her time here at ESPN, and they have served her well as she battled the terrible health challenges that she’s had to face.”
ABC News President Ben Sherwood said that Roberts has an “unbreakable spirit.”
“She broke barriers to become the first female African-American sports journalist and broadcaster at ESPN. Her battle to beat breast cancer and MDS reflect her approach to every challenge, always thinking of others first with grace, generosity, humility and humor,” Sherwood said, according to ABC.
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