The world's top athletes and Prince Harry(?) being honored at ESPYs tonight, July 11

Patrick Mahomes at the 2023 ESPYs
Patrick Mahomes at the 2023 ESPYs (Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Baseball is about to host its All-Star Game, the Olympics start at the end of the month and the NFL season is still a few weeks away, but the world of sports is all gathering tonight, July 11, for the 2024 ESPYs, where the best athletes and moments of the last year are going to be recognized. You can watch it all on ABC starting at 8 pm ET/PT.

Produced by ESPN since 1993, the ESPYS see a lot of big names from both sports and entertainment walk the red carpet, present and accept awards. And adding to the idea that this is the sports equivalent to the Oscars or the Emmys, the 2024 ESPYs are taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles (the same place where the Oscars are held).

One of the greatest athletes of the 21st century (probably all time), Serena Williams, is set to host the proceeding. As far as nominees, the likes of Simone Biles, Patrick Mahomes, Caitlin Clark, Jaylen Brown, Shohei Ohtani and most of the championship teams from the last year are up for awards. Presenting at the awards ceremony are the likes of Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson, Unstable's Rob Lowe, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire star Brian Tyree Henry, fellow athletes like Paige Bueckers, Draymond Green and Candace Parker, while coming off her rave performance at the Roast of Tom Brady, Nikki Glaser is also set to be on hand.

While you can see the full list of nominees on the ESPN website, a few winners have already been revealed. Patrick Mahomes took home Best NFL Player while Shohei Ohtani won Best MLB Player. 

There is also a trio of special awards that announce their honorees ahead of the ceremony. This year that includes Steve Gleason, a former football player, receiving the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his battle against ALS; South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, recognizing both her accomplishments on the court and her fight against cancer off of it; and the Pat Tillman Award for Service is being presented to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for his service in the British Armed Forces and his founding of The Invictus Games Foundation, which supports wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

The easiest way to watch the ESPYS tonight is to have a TV set up with access to ABC. That can be through a traditional pay-TV setup, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming service like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. If you’re not at your TV tonight, you can also watch the award show through ESPN.com.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.