Serena WilliamsGilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.
The 2024 ESPY Awards certainly didn’t disappoint when it came to delivering the drama. In addition to Prince Harry’s moving speech after several weeks of controversy from Pat Tillman’s mother, host Serena Williams was here to remind Kanas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker that women were not going to forget his misogynistic speech anytime soon.
Serena, along with sister Venus Williams, and Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson appeared onstage together to honor women’s sports. During the segment, Venus shared, “You can enjoy women’s sports, just like any other sport, because they are sports.” Immediately after she said that Serena chimed in, “Except for you Harrison Butker, we don’t need you.” Venus’ reaction was classic as she watched her sister deliver the slam. Brunson then finished off the critique, “At all. Like, ever.”
Harrison Butker at The 2024 ESPY Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.
Unfortunately, the cameras didn’t catch Butker’s reaction, but he likely wasn’t bothered by the diss since he has already told the world that he has no “regret at all” after making a divisive commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas in May. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” he said to the graduates. “I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
The NFL player also weaponized Taylor Swift’s lyrics against her by dismissing her as “my teammate’s girlfriend” while quoting her 2022 single, “Bejeweled.” So, not only did he offend women, President Joe Biden, and the LGBTQ+ community, but he also crossed the line with Swifties everywhere. Let’s just say, he has a lot of enemies out there in the world. However, Butker isn’t backing down from his beliefs and his desire to share his strong opinions with others.
The NFL issued a strong statement to People but did not reprimand him because he “gave a speech in his personal capacity.” The organization added, “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.” Travis Kelce only dipped his toes into the controversy, sharing on his New Heights podcast, “I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”
However, Butker is going to need to realize that there are plenty of women who won’t give him a soft pass — including Serena, Venus, and Brunson.
