After initially snubbing Aliyah Boston of an invite to Wednesday’s ESPY Awards, ESPN reversed course, extending an olive branch to Boston, the best player in women’s college basketball.
But Boston says the network’s about-face only “hurt more.”
“To be nominated for an ESPY this year meant the world to me and my family,” Boston wrote on Twitter. “While it hurt finding out that they wouldn’t be televising the category despite it being televised last year, and had no intentions for me to attend, it hurt more to see ESPN change course and invite me only after social media caught wind of it. Respectfully, I declined.”
Boston was one of the nominees for the “Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports” category after earning unanimous National Player of the Year honors and leading South Carolina to a national championship this past season.
“I’m used to this,” Boston wrote. “It’s just another moment when the disrespect and erasure of Black women is brushed off as a ‘mistake’ or an ‘oversight.’ Another excuse for why our milestones and accomplishments aren’t a ‘priority’ this time, even now, 50 years after Title IX.
“To every Black girl and every Black woman: no one can take away what God has in store for us. You matter. You are valuable. You are a priority. You are seen, and you are loved — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Aliyah Boston reacts after a timeout is called in a game against UConn during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game in April. Getty Images
Boston won National Player of the Year honors while steering South Carolina to a national title. NCAA Photos via Getty ImagesOn Monday, ESPN told The Slate that seating is limited at the event due to a combination of venue and COVID restrictions. Thus, the network “prioritized athlete invitations to focus on specific awards that will be handed out during the broadcast,” which does not include Boston’s category.
The ESPYs are being held at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, which has a capacity of 3,400.
Oklahoma softball slugger Jocelyn Alo, Florida state soccer star Jaelin Howell and Boston College lacrosse phenom Charlotte North rounded out the nominees for “Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports.” The winner was announced Tuesday evening in a special preview show, with Alo taking home the honors.
Boston’s coach at South Carolina, Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, expressed her disgust with the situation, tweeting: “There’s definitely something wrong with the makeup of the room.”
