ESPN shocked fans when they learned that South Carolina basketball star Aliyah Boston wasn’t invited to the ESPYs on Wednesday night even though she’s nominated for the “Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports” award.
The network told The State that the reason the Naismith Player of the Year didn’t receive an invitation is because her award is not part of the televised schedule.
“We have the utmost respect for Aliyah Boston, Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks,” ESPN said in a statement. “Due to both COVID restrictions and a new venue with much less seating capacity than previous shows, ‘The 2022 ESPYs’ prioritized athlete invitations to focus on specific awards that will be handed out during the broadcast.”
The ESPYs are set to take place at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, which has a capacity of 3,400.
This announcement came after South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley called out the network for not including her star player.
“Like really….who in the room from @espn @ESPYS decided it was a great idea not to invite @MarchMadnessWBB NPOY DPOY….not one person was able to see the uproar this would cause? There’s definitely something wrong with the make up of the room……the fight continue….#WBBSTANDUP”
Boston’s category, along with the men’s collegiate athlete and various others, will announce the winners on Tuesday night’s “preview show” on ESPN.
The Gamecocks forward is nominated with Florida State soccer star Jaelin Howell, Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo and Boston College lacrosse star Charlotte North. Alo will be in attendance for the show since she is nominated for two other awards that will be televised on Wednesday night.
Boston earned the nomination after a stellar junior season. She broke the SEC record for most consecutive double doubles with 27 in a row this season. Her 16.8 points per game is the best of her three-year career so far. Previously, she averaged 12.5 points per game as a freshman and 13.7 points per game as a sophomore.
