Two MLS clubs have been recognized among the nominees and honorees in the third annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, presented by ESPN and sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, ESPN announced Wednesday.
New York City FC is a finalist for Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Meanwhile, Orlando City SC is one of the honorees for the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, and have received a $100,000 grant to continue their community efforts.
Orlando City FC is one of three honorees in that category, along with the WWE’s Stephanie McMahon and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. ESPN is honoring the team for its efforts a year ago in the aftermath of the June 12, 2016 shooting at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 people. Six days later, the Lions hosted the first professional sporting event in Central Florida following the shooting – a match against the San Jose Earthquakes – and the club made the entire game a tribute to those who were killed.
Families of the victims and first responders were recognized before the game, players wore #OrlandoUnited patches on their jerseys, black armbands on their sleeves, and rainbow wristbands. A section of seats at midfield was left empty, except for a single, colorful balloon, the match was stopped in the 49th minute to honor the victims with a moment of silence, and later, the victims of the tragedy were memorialized by 49 rainbow-colored seats in Section 12 of the stadium.
The club has continued to support the cause of the LGBTQ community in Central Florida, and has raised $500,000 for the OneOrlando Fund.
With their new $100,000 grant, Orlando have chosen to split the reward between the Better Together Fund, Contigo Fund, and OnePulse Foundation.
Meanwhile NYCFC is one of four finalists for the team award, joining the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. NYCFC was chosen as a finalist because it supports City in the Community (CITC) charity, using the game of soccer to address issues around health, education and crime throughout New York City.
To address the statistic that one-third of children in New York City’s public schools are obese or overweight, CITC serves over 5,000 children each year with free programs that promote fitness and healthy eating habits. NYCFC has committed to increase the space for communities to play soccer by building three soccer fields, and making a commitment to build 50 mini-pitches – in collaboration with partners – over the next five years.
To address rising levels of crime and youth violence, and to improve community relations with local law enforcement, CITC has partnered with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on Saturday Night Lights, a program that offers soccer during times when crime levels are the highest.
Together, NYCFC and CITC are impacting more than 4,000 youths each week across New York City’s five boroughs.
The winners of every award category will be announced at The Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards on July 11 at L.A. LIVE’s the Novo. They will be hosted for the third time by Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg. Highlights of the show will be broadcast on ESPN on July 25, in a one-hour program beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
The net proceeds of the event will benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund and The V Foundation. In addition, ESPN will donate $1 million to the charities of the nominees and winners. Last year, $1.7 million was distributed to the community as a result of the Awards.
