LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World-renowned athlete David Beckham will be presented with the Legend Award at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, in recognition of his incredible talent and outstanding sportsmanship on the field. Nick’s first-ever Legend Award blimp will go gold for Becks, as the sports legend is set to be honored for his top-level achievements. Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, hosted and executive produced by Michael Strahan (LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Good Morning America correspondent. Fox NFL Sunday, Super Bowl Champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer), will be telecast live on Thursday, July 17 (8 pm ET/PT). Kids are able to cast their votes in 14 categories on Nick.com/sports.
Nickelodeon will bestow the first-ever Kids’ Choice Sports Legend Award to David Beckham, who is the ultimate role model, inspiring generations of kids year after year. His talent is unmatched on the field, and his values, integrity and sportsmanship shine off the field. He exemplifies the qualities every kid aspires to achieve and his name is the first that comes to mind when we think of his sport.
Beckham began his professional career playing for Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 at age 17. While playing for Manchester United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga Championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007, Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham and the LA Galaxy won back-to-back MLS Cup Championships in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, he spent his last professional season with Paris Saint-Germain, where the club won its Lique 1 title.
Beckham made his England debut on September 1, 1996, at the age of 21. He was captain for six years and also holds the appearance record for an outfield player, appearing in three FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002 and 2006) and two UEFA European Championship tournaments (2000 and 2004).
He was the first English player to win league titles in four countries, England, Spain, the United States and France.
Joining the all-star lineup, formerly announced performers and presenters include: multi-Grammy, award-winning artist Pharrell Williams, country superstar duo Florida George Line, Super Bowl XLVIII champion Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks), NBA superstar Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Will Arnett and Megan Fox (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Nick Cannon (America’s Got Talent), Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), Victor Cruz (New York Giants), Metta World Peace (New York Knicks), George Lopez (Lopez Tonight), pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark, pro surfer Bethany Hamilton, Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys) and Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family).
Kids can now vote on Nick.com/sports and all of Nickelodeon’s digital platforms feature a brand-new voting experience http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-sports/vote. Kids can get in the game by watching video highlights of the nominees in each category, voting for their favorite all-star athletes, and even multiplying their votes with a special Kids’ Choice Sports Slime Multiplier game. In the game, fans can rack up points while playing four different slime-filled sports games, while simultaneously adding votes to their favorite nominees. Kids will also be able to gear up for game day by watching funny short videos, photo galleries and more on the site. Then on July 17th, Nick.com will be the official destination to score a court-side seat for all of the orange carpet action, complete with a live video and photo stream, straight from the main event, at 7:30p.m. ET/PT.
Presenting sponsor of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2014 is SUBWAY® restaurants. Associate sponsors are Air Hogs and Mattel’s BOOMco.
Legendary Super Bowl Champion and Fox NFL Sunday analyst Michael Strahan is the co-host of the top-rated morning talk show LIVE with Kelly and Michael. He is also a special co-host for Good Morning America. Prior to joining the ranks of the top sports broadcasters in the country, Strahan helped lead the New York Giants to their third Super Bowl championship in 2007 with a dramatic win over the New England Patriots. A seven-time Pro-Bowler and one of only four players ever to lead the NFL in sacks for two seasons during his 15-year NFL career, Strahan was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 when he broke the 18-year-old NFL single season sack record with 22.5 sacks, a record that still stands today. This August, he will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done + Dusted (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, iHeartRadio Music Awards 2014) will serve as executive producers of Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, with Hamilton also serving as director of the show. Constance Schwartz of SMAC Entertainment is also an executive producer.
As president of Done + Dusted, Ian Stewart devises, stages and films some of the biggest events across the planet. The prolific production company has garnered awards from the Grammys to a Peabody, Emmys and BAFTAs, Rose d'Ors and countless others. Recent highlights include: NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly 2012-2013, NBC’s Hurricane Sandy Coming Together benefit, CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute 2012 and Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2013.
Hamish Hamilton’s credits as director include the 2014 Oscars, Super Bowl Halftime Show 2014, all four ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic Games, 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury. This year he received two BAFTAs and an Emmy nomination. Hamilton began his directing career in Scotland working for the BBC and has since travelled far and wide shooting documentaries, concert films and awards shows on every continent.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).
