Caitlyn Jenner's journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
When Jenner was known as Bruce, the Olympian was renowned as one of the greatest athletes in the world, famously gracing the cover of a Wheaties box. Then Jenner managed to get hooked up with the Kardashian clan, perhaps the weirdest family in America beside the Duggars.
Then Jenner became a woman named Caitlyn.
The change was chronicled by paparazzi during the months Jenner's hair grew, face seemed to change and breasts became more pronounced. Speculation ran rampant.
Then Jenner sat down with Diane Sawyer, confirmed the rumors and announced her new, true identity. Jenner had always felt like a woman, and now she was going to live as one. Then she posed for photos taken by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue magazine’s cover.
And, as if that wasn’t enough for one lifetime, now Caitlyn has been named this year’s recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award by ESPN.
And the hounds are out.
Does Jenner deserve the award for what she did? Should Jenner get the award ahead of two other deserving candidates, Lauren Hill and Noah Galloway.
Hill was a basketball player at Mount St. Joseph College in Cincinnati. She had a terminal form of brain cancer but continued to play with grace and enthusiasm, and a foundation in her name is a player in raising funds for cancer research.
Galloway, the recent finalist on "Dancing With the Stars," lost an arm and leg in Iraq but still competes in extreme sports. He is a poster child for determination and courage.
A number of crazies out there blasted ESPN just because Jenner wanted to be a woman. They thought it was disgusting.
But the Twitter world was alive with support for the other candidates, especially Hill.
"Lauren Hill deserves the ESPY award for courage, and it should not even be a discussion. What an absolute embarrassment."
"Elective surgery isn't courage or bravery. Fighting brain cancer with grace and dignity at 19 is. Lauren is most deserving."
The hottest rumor in the Twitter world was that Galloway had finished second in the voting and Hill had finished third. ESPN and many others went to great lengths to clear that up.
"There is no second or third place," a statement from the network said. "We discussed many worthy candidates before making this decision."
One of the strongest indictments came from a respected columnist named Damon Linker, who writes for The Week. Linker proffered that the whole thing was some kind of Kardashian publicity stunt.
"Let's be honest about what this means," he wrote. "For one thing, and despite what a number of people appear to believe, it's not especially ‘brave.’ Or at least no more so than any celebrity publicizing personal tribulations in order to make money. Is it courageous when an actress who has just emerged from rehab after nearly killing herself with drinking and drugs gives an exclusive interview to a TV news magazine in the hopes of generating buzz about an upcoming movie release? Nah, it's just PR, ad copy in another form.
"That's exactly what Jenner is giving us — and she's doing it masterfully. Gays and lesbians have been the outsiders of choice for a couple of decades. But now, as they finally merge with the mainstream, the transgendered look to be the next marginalized group in line for liberal protection from harm and defense against judgment and exclusion. And here comes Caitlyn, right on cue, ready and eager to pose as a pin-up poster girl for the cause. That her image will also serve to advance her career in exhibitionist television isn't so much a coincidence as the essence of what we've all experience: the thoroughgoing commodification of one person's struggle with gender identity."
Just today, Bob Costas also spoke out against the decision, calling it "a crass exploitation play" and "a tabloid play" while chatting on the "Dan Patrick Show."
ESPN didn’t get drawn into the debate. The network said the award went to a person who has "transcended the world of sports."
A list of past winners can be found here.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
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