Posthumous Conferral of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage upon Jason Collins

Jason Collins 追贈亞瑟·艾許勇氣獎

Jun 22, 2026, 16:56

Introduction

The ESPYS have announced that Jason Collins will be posthumously granted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage during the July 15 ceremony.

ESPYS 宣布，將在 7 月 15 日的典禮上追贈亞瑟·艾許勇氣獎給 Jason Collins。

Main Body

The bestowal of this honor pertains to the contributions of Jason Collins toward the enhancement of LGBTQ+ visibility within professional athletics. As the inaugural openly gay active player in a North American men's professional sports league, Collins' 2013 disclosure occurred during his tenure as a free agent, subsequently leading to a brief engagement with the Brooklyn Nets. Following his professional retirement, he maintained a role as an advocate for gay rights, facilitating a systemic shift toward inclusion.

頒發此項榮譽是基於 Jason Collins 對提升職業體育界 LGBTQ+ 能見度的貢獻。作為北美職業男子體育聯盟首位公開出櫃的現役球員，Collins 在 2013 年擔任自由球員期間公開身份，隨後短暫加盟布魯克林網隊。在職業生涯退休後，他持續擔任同志權利倡導者，推動系統性地向包容文化轉型。

Parallel to his athletic legacy, the recent period of Collins' life was characterized by a public disclosure of a brain tumor diagnosis in December, an act intended to augment societal understanding of the pathology. His subsequent decease occurred on May 12 at the age of 47. The Arthur Ashe Award, established to recognize individuals who exhibit fortitude in the face of adversity—mirroring Arthur Ashe's own opposition to apartheid and his transparency regarding his AIDS diagnosis—will be accepted by the recipient's twin brother, Jarron Collins. Previous laureates of this distinction include various high-profile athletes and survivor groups, underscoring the award's focus on extra-athletic societal impact.

與其體育遺產並行的是，Collins 生命的近期階段在 12 月公開披露了腦瘤診斷，此舉旨在增加社會對該病理的了解。他隨後於 5 月 12 日去世，享年 47 歲。亞瑟·艾許勇氣獎旨在表彰在逆境中展現堅韌精神的人——鏡像亞瑟·艾許本人反對種族隔離以及對其愛滋病診斷的透明度——該獎項將由獲獎者的雙胞胎兄弟 Jarron Collins 代領。此項殊榮之前的獲獎者包括多位知名運動員和倖存者團體，凸顯了該獎項對體育之外社會影響力的關注。

Conclusion

Jason Collins will be honored for his advocacy and courage at the upcoming ESPYS event in New York.

Jason Collins 將在紐約舉行的 ESPYS 活動中，因其倡導與勇氣而獲得表彰。

Vocabulary Learning

The Architecture of Nominalization: Engineering 'High-Register' Gravitas

To move from B2 to C2, a student must shift from narrating events to constructing concepts. The provided text is a masterclass in Nominalization—the process of turning verbs (actions) and adjectives (qualities) into nouns. This is the primary linguistic engine used in legal, academic, and high-ceremonial English to create an air of objectivity and formality.

⚡ The Morphological Shift

Observe how the text avoids simple verbs in favor of heavy noun phrases:

B2 Level (Action-oriented): "The ESPYS announced they will give the award to Jason Collins after he died." $\rightarrow$ C2 Level (Concept-oriented): "Posthumous Conferral of the Arthur Ashe Award..."
B2 Level: "He told everyone he was gay in 2013." $\rightarrow$ C2 Level: "Collins' 2013 disclosure occurred..."
B2 Level: "He died on May 12." $\rightarrow$ C2 Level: "His subsequent decease occurred..."

🔍 Scholarly Breakdown: Why This Matters

Nominalization achieves three critical C2-level objectives:

Information Density: By turning disclose (verb) into disclosure (noun), the writer can then attach modifiers to it (e.g., "public disclosure"), packing more meaning into a single phrase.
Emotional Distancing: Using "decease" instead of "died" creates a professional, clinical distance, which is the hallmark of official commendations and obituaries.
Syntactic Flexibility: Once an action becomes a noun, it can function as the subject of a complex sentence. Example: "The bestowal of this honor pertains to..." Here, the act of giving is the subject, allowing the sentence to focus on the reason rather than the person.

🛠 Precision Lexicon: The 'Academic' Substitutes

To replicate this style, replace common verbs with their Latinate noun counterparts:

Common Verb	C2 Nominalization	Textual Application
To give / grant	Bestowal / Conferral	"The bestowal of this honor..."
To make better	Enhancement	"...enhancement of LGBTQ+ visibility"
To increase	Augmentation	"...intended to augment [augmenting] societal understanding"
To be open	Transparency	"...his transparency regarding his AIDS diagnosis"

Vocabulary Learning

posthumously (adv.)

Occurring, awarded, or appearing after the death of the originator.

Example:The author was posthumously awarded the Nobel Prize for her unfinished manuscript.

bestowal (n.)

The act of presenting an honor, gift, or right to someone.

Example:The bestowal of the knighthood was a moment of immense pride for the scientist.

pertains (v.)

To be appropriate, applicable, or related to a specific matter.

Example:The new regulation pertains specifically to the handling of hazardous waste.

inaugural (adj.)

Marking the beginning of an institution, activity, or period; the first of a series.

Example:The president gave an inspiring inaugural address to the nation.

augment (v.)

To make something greater by adding to it; to increase.

Example:He took a part-time job to augment his monthly income.

pathology (n.)

The science of the causes and effects of diseases, especially the manifestations of a disease in tissues.

Example:The medical team studied the pathology of the virus to develop a more effective vaccine.

fortitude (n.)

Courage in pain or adversity.

Example:She faced her illness with remarkable fortitude and grace.

laureates (n.)

People who have been honored with an award for their outstanding achievement in a particular field.

Example:The Nobel laureates gathered in Stockholm for the annual ceremony.

Practice C2 words in a crossword→