Craig Sager Receiving the Jimmy V Award

In 2016, Craig Sager won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS. For those who don't know; the award recognizes legendary North Carolina State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, and the battle he faced with cancer during that time. He became the awards raison d'être at the 1993 ESPYS, and during his acceptance speech he said "Don't give up...Don't ever give up!" These words are still impactful to this day; and shine a light on the image Jimmy left when he passed away two months later. Craig Sager, who was a popular American sports reporter since 1981, also faced a battle of his own when he got diagnosed with Leukemia in 2014. Even with his health issues and chemotherapy treatments, Sager continued to work the NBA playoff games; qualifying him as the perfect recipient for the Jimmy V award in 2016. If his work didn't show perseverance enough, it was his speech that truly displayed the qualities in which the award represents. During his whole speech, he only highlighted the positive outlooks on life. He stated how thankful he is for everyone who is a part of his life, how he is able to look at the glass as "half-full," and how he is excited to continue watching all the accomplishments the athletes make. In order to persevere, the most important thing for someone to understand is outlook, and Craig Sager knew exactly what outlook to have. He added that when he got diagnosed with Leukemia, his perception of time changed. He said, "Time is something that cannot be bought,  it can not be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life." I think what he meant by this is that people fail to realize that time isn't the issue; and that the issue is that people aren't valuing the time they are given. Everyone only has so much time to live for, and it's their choice to choose if they're going to use that time or not. I think perseverance is best shown by people who don't let time affect the way they choose to live their life, and I think Craig Sager did just that.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/07/craig-sager-espys-jimmy-v-award-speech