The 2024 Espys, an annual awards show put on by ESPN to honor notable sports figures and events of the past year, took place on Thursday.
Like many awards shows, the ESPYs has an “in memoriam” presentation that honors the athletes or sports-connected people who have passed away in the last year. This year’s presentation had a notable absence.
O.J. Simpson, who died in April, was not a part of the “in memoriam” presentation
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There were many fallen athletes and sports-related people honored in the 2024 version of the Espys’ “in memoriam” presentation.
Baseball legend Willie Mays, iconic NBA logo Jerry West, freak athlete and former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Larry Allen and basketball legend Bill Walton were just a few of the athletes named during the presentation.
The award show would not have been the only one to honor the late Simpson, as the BET Awards did so just two weeks earlier during their “in memoriam” presentation. The honoring of Simpson garnered national attention, including attention from the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Stephen A. Smith says it was a bad look that O.J. Simpson was honored at the BET Awards and calls it classless.
(🎥 Stephen A. Smith/Youtube) pic.twitter.com/FPzFWx2Ob1
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) July 2, 2024
The ESPYs and O.J. Simpson have been intertwined before
![O.J. Simpson Notably Absent From 2024 Espys Presentation; Is it a Statement From ESPN? 2 o.j. simpson norm macdonald espys](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/USATSI_16751070_168400517_lowres-scaled.webp)
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The largely controversial nature of a sports figure like Simpson has made it nearly impossible for a sports awards show like the ESPYs to prevent some sort of connection.
That connection with Simpson originally came when the 1998 ESPYs was hosted by late comedian Norm Macdonald.
When the Simpson controversy was still fresh in the minds of most Americans, Macdonald famously and fearlessly made an O.J. Simpson joke that did not go over well with a large portion of the audience.
You’ll see a lot of people on here making OJ Simpson jokes today, but no one did it better than Norm Macdonald. The man literally lost his job over it 😂pic.twitter.com/tS4qfhtqhb
— Austin Franklin (@austinfrankln) April 11, 2024
Macdonald’s Simpson joke would live on as one of the most infamous ESPYs moments in the history of the award show.
Many fans agree with ESPN’s decision to leave O.J. Simpson out of the ESPYs
![O.J. Simpson Notably Absent From 2024 Espys Presentation; Is it a Statement From ESPN? 3 o.j. simpson bruce fromong](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/USATSI_17357416-e1707508659437.jpg)
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While there is a contingency of fans who think Simpson should’ve been honored for his contributions to the sport of football, many fans agreed with ESPN’s decision to omit Simpson from their “in memoriam” presentation.
Simpson died of cancer in April at 76-years-old. Nicole Brown Simpson’s sisters reacted to his death in an article from Time Magazine.
“It’s very complicated,” Dominique told ABC News. “But I have a relationship with the kids that means everything to me, and I was … very, very sad for them.”
Many fans still maintain that Simpson is innocent, while others think his name should not be honored going forward.
Probably because he slashed the necks of 2 innocent people in cold blood and got away with it.
— Ryan Kozman (@rhinokoz) July 12, 2024
A good rule of thumb is not to mourn a murderer
— Dan Stu (@DanStuPart4) July 12, 2024
He should have won a lifetime achievement award. The man was innocent and spent years being persecuted 😢
— Malcolm Adamz (@malcolmadamz) July 12, 2024
he was a famous athlete they shoulda kept him in regardless–its for God to judge now–and apparently those jurors—-it was more for optics tho–its all about optics–
— Rocco Fillmore (@roccofillmore) July 12, 2024
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