Press Release on Sports Humanitarian Awards, John Cena & WWE Nominated, Winners to Receive $75,000 Grant, ESPN Airing Special

STUART SCOTT ENSPIRE AWARD HONOREES

In honor of former ESPN commentator Stuart Scott’s indomitable spirit, the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award (ESPN + inspire) celebrates and honors any organization or person who has used the power of sport by taking risk and using an innovative approach to aid the disadvantaged, save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity. The honorees will each receive a $25,000 grant from ESPN to the qualified charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts.

Honorees (to be recognized at awards ceremony July 14):  

• “Like A Girl” Campaign: Always, the world’s leading feminine care brand, launched a social experiment to address the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty and change the negative perception of the phrase “like a girl” into one that means downright amazing things. Through a viral video that later aired as a Super Bowl commercial, the Always #LikeAGirl campaign challenged girls, boys, women and men worldwide to change the way they think about and use phrases like “throw like a girl” and “run like girl” which proved to have a profound impact. Prior to viewing the film, only 19% of girls had a positive association toward the phrase “like a girl.” After watching the video, 76% of girls ages 16-24 no longer see the phrase as an insult, and two out of three men who watched said they would stop or think twice before using “like a girl” as an insult.

• MLB Commissioner Emeritus Allan H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. (Sue) Selig: Bud and Sue Selig have helped transform how leagues and sport gives back. At the urging of the Seligs, MLB granted the $10 million founding donation that launched Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) in 2008. Since then, the Seligs have helped raise tens of millions of dollars for groundbreaking cancer research through SU2C’s Innovative Research Grant, the first of which was named in their honor, and they are responsible for MLB’s continued support for cancer research. The Seligs also paved the way for professional sports to become more sustainable, with Bud being called “the single most influential environmental advocate in the history of sports” by the Green Sports Alliance. Under his watch, MLB was the first league to distribute environmental advice and measurement tools to all stadium operators. It was the first league to use public service announcements to educate fans about environmental stewardship and to green its All-Star Game and league championships. Selig received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which aids academically distinguished minority students, and the Chairman’s Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Selig is a major supporter of his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as Marquette University.
• Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll: Pete Carroll is committed to helping people be the best they can be on and off the field. Carroll works to identify what is unique about each person, understand and help them create a vision for what they want to be and then keep them connected to that vision. It is in this approach that has led to life-changing impact. Coach Carroll incorporated this philosophy to help transform communities and make them better places to live through his violence prevention efforts via A Better LA and A Better Seattle. He was instrumental to bring Free The Children’s We Act & We Day to the U.S. and Seattle in 2013. Annually, students earn their tickets to We Day by completing one local and one global action on any issue of their choice. This program is unique because it provides youth from all types of backgrounds a platform to become agents of change and leaders regardless of their circumstances.
• You Can Play: The You Can Play Project is working to change the sometimes homophobic culture of locker rooms and sports venues with a message that athletes should be judged on athletic skill and ability, not sexual orientation or other discriminatory factors. Inspired by the late Brendan Burke, an openly gay hockey player at Miami University and son of Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke, the organization is spreading a message of tolerance, inclusion and equality. Today, You Can Play has been represented in video messages by athletes from every professional sports league in North America, all saying they would support a gay teammate who would contribute to a team’s success.

ESPN Corporate Citizenship

ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplifts the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use power of sport to positively address society’s most pressing needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.