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Durant, Rousey win top athlete honors at ESPYs

By WTOP Staff

BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Durant won two ESPY Awards, including male athlete of the year, and mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey earned female athlete honors, becoming the first UFC fighter to claim a trophy in the biggest category at the show honoring the year’s best performances Wednesday night.

Durant also won best NBA player, ending LeBron James’ two-year reign in both categories.

“Everybody helped me out along the way,” the Oklahoma City Thunder star said. “My beautiful mom watching at home who couldn’t be here. My favorite teammate, Russell Westbrook.”

Durant beat out fellow male athlete nominees Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and boxer Floyd Mayweather during the show hosted by rapper Drake at the Nokia Theatre.

Rousey, the first female UFC champion, won over WNBA star Maya Moore, Olympic champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin and Brenna Stewart of national champion Connecticut.

The winners in most categories were determined by fan voting.

Rousey didn’t attend, with presenter Chrissy Teigen saying the fighter had surgery a day earlier.

Manning didn’t go home empty-handed. He collected two trophies: best NFL player and record-breaking performance. Manning won his fifth MVP award last season, when he set single-season records by passing for 55 touchdowns and more than 5,500 yards.

The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks won best team. Their All-Pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, won breakthrough athlete.

The best game was the Iron Bowl matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Auburn, with the Tigers winning 34-28 on the final play to spoil the Tide’s BCS hopes.

Led by goalie Tim Howard, the U.S. men’s soccer team won best moment for its run to the round of 16 in the World Cup.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal won best international athlete.

Drake zinged Howard and Sherman in his opening monologue. The rapper joked about banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling, saying, “We’re a few hundred yards from Staples Center, which is as close as Donald Sterling is allowed to get.”

Clippers star Blake Griffin laughed until the camera caught him and he acted serious, drawing laughs. Griffin and Drake teamed up for a funny pre-taped bit in which they pretended to be each other while spewing insults, with rapper Chris Brown joining in. Brown, who has been in and out of jail, jokingly introduced himself as “America’s sweetheart.”

James wasn’t on hand, but Drake noted the superstar’s recent decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning two NBA titles in Miami.

“You know what 40 million gets you in Miami? A really nice house,” Drake said. “You know what 40 million gets you in Cleveland? Cleveland, you get the whole thing.”

Drake mixed in song, too. He crooned “Honorable Mention,” a tune he said was dedicated to the runner-ups, including Triple Crown loser California Chrome and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick.

Lil’ Wayne cracked up as Drake sang “Side Pieces,” full of references to the on-the-road cheating that goes on in sports. Drake noted a lot of men in the audience wanted the song to be over.

Drake revisited Sterling with a rap accompanied by video of the Clippers owner saying he isn’t a racist. The screen displayed the hashtag of Sterlingneverlovedus.

Later, Drake teamed up with WNBA star Skylar Diggins for a sketch. She went in to kiss Drake, who has acknowledged his affection for her, but the smooch landed on his forehead and not his lips.

Gregg Popovich won best coach-manager for guiding the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA championship. Spurs player Kawhi Leonard earned the championship performance award to go with his MVP award from the NBA Finals.

Westbrook won best comeback athlete, having overcome his latest knee surgery to help the Thunder reach the Western Conference finals.

Stewart won best female college athlete, while Creighton basketball star Doug McDermott won male college athlete.

Olympic snowboarders Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg won best female and male Olympian. Kotsenburg won the first gold medal of the Sochi Games in men’s snowboard slopestyle.

The Arthur Ashe Courage award went to St. Louis Rams draftee Michael Sam, who announced earlier this year that he is gay. The former Missouri defensive end will be trying to make the Rams’ roster when training camp opens. If he does, Sam would be the NFL’s first openly gay player.

Sam teared up throughout his speech and his voice faltered at times.

“Great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself,” he told the audience.

Hall of Famer Jim Brown hugged Sam on his way to the stage.

The Ashe award is named for the late tennis player who died in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion.

The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance was given to ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Stuart Scott, who is fighting a recurrence of cancer first diagnosed seven years ago.

The Pat Tillman Award for Service was given for the first time to Josh Sweeney, a retired Marine who lost both his legs after an explosion in Afghanistan. He scored the lone goal for the U.S. sled hockey team that beat the Russians for gold earlier this year at the Paralympics in Sochi.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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