"Two excellent athletes and a grifter?": Fans react to Gamecocks HC Dawn Staley, Steve Gleason, and Prince Harry getting honored at 2024 ESPY awards

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley will be in royal company on July 11. ESPN announced last week that Staley will be honored with an award for her courage, perseverance and service alongside Prince Harry and ALS activist and former NFL safety Steve Gleason during the 2024 ESPYs.

The award ceremony is shaped by votes from fans, sportswriters, broadcasters and sports executives.

While fans cheered for Dawn Staley and Steve Gleason, a few bashed the award show for honoring the Duke of Sussex:

"Bravo to ALL except Prince Harry. Harry makes a mockery of this award and you know it @espn. Shame on you," a fan disapproved.

"Prince Harry? For what? Two excellent athletes and a grifter? I didn’t know grifting was a sport?" another fan taunted.

"Harry certainly isn't shy about buying awards and taking credit for other people's work is he? I hope he doesn't break his arm patting himself on the back," a user quipped.

Meanwhile, plenty of sports fans appreciated the trio:

"That's a well-deserved honor!" a fan wrote.

"Congratulations to Prince Harry, Steve Gleason, and Dawn Staley," another supporter tweeted.

"For those wondering what does Harry do with veterans . Go watch Heart of invictus. He created In invictus Games which are helping to save lives every day," a fan highlighted Prince Harry's ongoing contributions.

What are Dawn Staley, Steve Gleason and Prince Harry being awarded for?

ESPN will honor Dawn Staley with the Jimmy V Award (perseverance), Steve Gleason will receive the Arthur Ashe Award (courage) and Prince Harry with the Pat Tillman Award (service).

Dawn Staley and her South Carolina squad lifted the NCAA title behind a 38-0 season. With that, Staley used her platform to champion gender equality and diversity in sports. Moreover, she has also been a vocal advocate of cancer screening while drawing from her personal experiences.

Steve Gleason receives the prestigious award for his fight with ALS after being diagnosed in 2011. Despite his struggles, Gleason has consistently empowered and advocated for increasing research around ALS with his Team Gleason initiative. Moreover, he has campaigned to make appropriate devices available in the U.S. for people fighting the incurable disease.

Even though Prince Harry is not directly connected to competitive sports, his recognition comes through the work of his Invictus Games Foundation, which aids wounded, sick and injured service people, be it veterans or active selectees, around the world. The foundation uses adaptive sports as a method of rehabilitation and to help people’s physical and mental well-being.