[a] Because of the ceremony's rescheduling prior to the 2002 iteration thereof, awards presented in 2002 were for achievement and performances during the seventeen-plus previous months.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of tickets to the event devolves on the V Foundation, a charity established by collegiate basketball coach and television commentator Jim Valvano to promote cancer research.

Thus, major sports figures (except for those in cycling, which has the Tour de France; minor league baseball; and golf, where The Open Championship usually starts that evening) are available to attend.

The first seven editions of the ESPYs were held in New York City—in 1993 and 1994 at Madison Square Garden and from 1995 through 1999, at Radio City Music Hall.

The awards relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, for two years beginning in 2000, and ultimately settled at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Cross-cutter awards are those for which the eligibility is not confined to those sportspersons participating in, or those events occurring in, any single or specific sport.