LeBron James ESPY Acceptance Speech

In 2016, LeBron James won the ESPY award for "Best Male Athlete." His speech was representative of several of the cultural values that we associate with sports and good sportsmanship. The first people he thanked in his speech were his teammates--implying that his success as "Best Male Athlete" was not a solo effort, but greatly depended on teamwork and the help of others, which is an ideal our culture greatly values and praises. Next, LeBron thanked his team for their "hard work and sacrifice." In American culture, an ideal is that if you work hard and make tough sacrifices, you will be successful and have good fortune. LeBron and his team exemplify this ideal--they worked hard physically and sacrificed time away from home and their families, and as a result became national champions. Furthermore, LeBron says that this is "...an unbelievable time for our city." Americans often express pride in their city or state by being a fan of their local sports teams--LeBron demonstrates this concept by stating that winning the championship has been a positive experience for the city of Cleveland as a whole--not just for him or his team.