The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City:Taye Diggs hosts the 2021 Sports activities Humanitarian Awards presented by ESPN.
(Joe Faraoni/ESPN Pictures)

The seventh annual Sporting activities Humanitarian Awards had been awarded July 12 at The Rooftop at Pier 17, found within just the Seaport in New York Metropolis.

The event, hosted by actor and author Taye Diggs, will air as a 90-minute television distinctive currently (2 p.m. ET, ABC). The event capabilities stars such as Billie Jean King, David Robinson, Joe Torre, Billy Crystal, Lindsey Vonn, and Matt James, with narrations from Laila Ali, Common, Anthony Mackie, and more.

Entrance Row caught up with Diggs on his practical experience web hosting the awards.

Why did you want to be a section of the Sports Humanitarian Awards?
I wished to be a portion of the Athletics Humanitarian Awards because I’m a big enthusiast of athletics, all functions of support, and just persons accomplishing superior things for fantastic people today. Any chance in which I can go in front of an audience for a superior lead to is often interesting.

I also experienced the opportunity to do a voice-in excess of for ESPN’s documentary about “The Fab 5,” and I have just been itching to do additional with ESPN ever since.

What was your favourite aspect of the night as host?
My most loved aspect about the night was just the actuality that we could get so a lot of various athletes in a person room, all when distributing various accolades for operate we have a tendency to appear above.

I liked that less than the situation of COVID and its limitations, we ended up even now in a position to generate a safe and helpful ecosystem outside in get to rejoice these fantastic achievements. It was this sort of an remarkable night!

What sporting activities figure’s get the job done in social challenges do you discover most powerful and why?
I like the sporting activities figures from an underserved state, city, or town – the underdogs – and discover achievements in the United States who then fund, support, and enable what ever region, city, or city they were introduced up in.

I are not able to even think about some of the challenges that these men and women must confront in the course of their journey. I have always been really amazed with athletes that can do that.

If you could make an ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary about any athletics story, what would it be?
If I have been to do a documentary, it would be about black hockey players. I would want to know about the black gentlemen that perform in a stereotypically white-led activity. I would want to make recognised that African Individuals are succeeding and thriving in that activity, adhering to their day-to-day exercise and getting protection that we might not get to see from watching a game.