INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, KICKING THE STIGMA NAMED FINALIST FOR 2025 ESPN SPORTS HUMANITARIAN AWARDS

The 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards will celebrate and honor athletes, teams, leagues and members of the sports industry who use the power of sport to make a positive impact on society. This year’s Sports Humanitarian Awards returns Tuesday, July 15, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, Calif. the evening before the ESPYS, as part of ESPYS Week. The Awards will be featured in ESPN studio programming and during The 2025 ESPYS, airing live on Wednesday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

“At ESPN, we believe in the profound ability of sports uniting people, inspiring hope, and driving real change,” said Kevin Martinez, vice president of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “The Sports Humanitarian Awards reflect that belief by honoring the athletes, teams, and organizations who are using their platforms not just to compete, but to serve and to lead with purpose. Now in its 11th year, this event continues to be a cornerstone of our commitment to social impact, and we’re proud to celebrate this year’s finalists and honorees as part of ESPYS Week.”

This year’s nominees and honorees include:

  • Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award finalists: CJ McCollum, Alex Ovechkin, Sloane Stephens
  • Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year finalists: Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Yankees
  • Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award honoree: Michele Kang
  • Corporate Community Impact Award finalists: Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheez-It, Fanatics, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
  • Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award honoree: Billy Bean, former Major League Baseball player and   executive
  • Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees: Maegha Ramanathan, Rishin Tandon, Ian Waite

Multiple sports leagues and governing bodies, along with sports brands, including NBA, NFL, NHL, TKO, Under Armour, U.S. Soccer, USTA and WNBA are sponsors of the Sports Humanitarian Awards and have nominated athletes and teams who are transforming lives and uplifting communities. The awards will once again benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Below are the award descriptions, as well as details about the nominees and honorees for the 2025 Sports Humanitarian Awards.

Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award Finalists
The Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award is given to an athlete whose continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a measured positive impact on their community through sports. The candidate must embrace the core principles that Muhammad Ali embodied so well, including confidence, conviction, dedication, giving and respect.

CJ McCollum
Throughout his time with the Pelicans, NBA guard CJ McCollum was committed to leaving a lasting impact on the Greater New Orleans area, particularly in criminal justice reform, education equity and community empowerment — as he redefined athletic leadership through strategic action and sustained investments. McCollum was deeply invested in addressing systemic challenges facing underserved youth, which led to his work with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights to elevate the voices of justice-involved youth and advocate for meaningful policy reform. The 12-year NBA veteran convened with key stakeholders to better understand the systemic policies that disproportionately affect marginalized. He also championed community-led design through initiatives like the Dream Center at the Westbank Boys & Girls Club — a safe, creative space shaped by input from local students.  In 2024, McCollum launched the McCollum Scholars, a $1 million investment to provide 11 low-income New Orleans students with full four-year college scholarships. In addition to financial aid, recipients receive wraparound support, including academic coaching, mental wellness resources and career development opportunities — underscoring McCollum’s belief that lasting change starts with long-term, holistic investment.

Alex Ovechkin
Washington Capitals star and NHL legend Alex Ovechkin has built a historic legacy on the ice, but he is using that spotlight to fuel the fight against pediatric cancer research. As he chased Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record, Ovechkin launched THE GR8 CHASE for Victory Over Cancer® in partnership with the Capitals, Hockey Fights Cancer and the V Foundation. For every regular season goal he scored, Ovechkin made a personal donation to pediatric cancer, matched by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and he encouraged fans to join him in turning this historical milestone into a meaningful moment that would bring attention to the importance of funding pediatric cancer research and help save lives. To date, the campaign has raised more than $150,000, with 100% of proceeds supporting life-saving pediatric cancer research through the V Foundation — including the creation of the Alex Ovechkin GR8 Chase Pediatric Cancer Research Grant. Ovechkin also has pledged personal donations for each goal he scores for the rest of his career, ensuring his pursuit of greatness leaves a lasting legacy off the ice.  Beyond fundraising, Ovechkin regularly visits with children battling cancer, hosts families at games and he shines a much-needed spotlight on the importance of pediatric cancer.

Sloane Stephens
Grand Slam champion Sloane Stephens has experienced firsthand the power of tennis to change lives — and she’s made it her mission to ensure that opportunity is accessible to all. In 2013, she founded the Sloane Stephens Foundation (“SSF”), a proud chapter of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis Learning (NJTL) network. SSF works to make tennis more inclusive by increasing access, representation and support for youth on and off the court. To date, SSF has reached over 15,000 young people nationwide, creating safe, empowering spaces for athletic development, education and personal growth. Stephens remains deeply involved in the foundation’s programs, helping design its academic and leadership components to ensure students are supported far beyond tennis. One of SSF’s flagship programs, “Love, Love Compton”, offers free tennis instruction, academic support and mentorship to students in the Compton Unified School District — boasting a 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rate. Additional initiatives like “Star Tennis at Recess” and “Future Kids Club” focus on building academic success, leadership skills and mental wellness, while introducing kids to the game she loves.

Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Finalists
The Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year honors a sports club/team that demonstrates how teamwork can create a measurable impact on a community or cause.

Indianapolis Colts
Through their groundbreaking initiative, Kicking the Stigma, the Indianapolis Colts have committed more than $31 million to raise awareness about mental health disorders and expand access to treatment across Indiana and beyond. The Colts are the first major sports franchise to launch a sweeping initiative to raise awareness around mental health disorders and fight the stigmas often associated with mental health.  Launched in 2020, Kicking the Stigma is a deeply personal mission for the Irsay family, who have combined philanthropy with storytelling to spark national conversations and raise funds to support projects and organizations working to improve mental health. To date, the Colts have awarded more than $6.4 million in grants to over 60 organizations, including NAMI Greater Indianapolis and Bring Change to Mind. The Colts also helped establish the Irsay Institute at Indiana University — a national research center focused on mental health stigma. The Colts also have funded anti-stigma training, mental health first aid, a major university institute to study and battle stigma, national PSAs, and efforts to educate fans. The team also has an intentional focus on reaching underserved populations to ensure they have access to important resources and helping train and develop more mental health professionals.

Los Angeles Clippers
Following the devastating wildfires in Southern California in the beginning of 2025, the Los Angeles Clippers quickly mobilized its players, staff and partners to lead FireAid — a rapid-response concert to support disaster recovery in the region. The Clippers recognized the magnitude of the crisis and the urgent needs of displaced families, so they planned and executed the concert at their new Intuit Dome in just 72 hours. Under the leadership of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, and in partnership with Live Nation and AEG Presents, the concert featured artists like Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga and raised $100 million for Los Angeles wildlife relief through ticket sales, matched donations and corporate contributions. Ballmer and his wife, Connie, matched all donations dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact to support housing, essential needs, local schools, fire departments and public parks. Beyond FireAid, the Clippers have invested in more than 500 community courts since 2017 — laying the groundwork for trusted partnerships with nonprofits to help aid in disaster relief efforts. With a deep commitment to economic equity, disaster response and civic engagement, the Clippers have transformed their home arena into a hub for social impact — demonstrating how teamwork can help communities, recover, rebuild and thrive.

Los Angeles Kings
In response to the devastating wildfires across Southern California, the Los Angeles Kings partnered with the NHL to leverage celebrity and spectacle to host “Skate for LA Strong” — a star-powered charity hockey game and citywide relief effort supporting displaced families and first responders. The Kings worked to blend the excitement of hockey with the spirit of Hollywood to provide emotional healing and support relief efforts through financial and in-kind donations. Hosted at Cypto.com Arena, the event featured celebrities like Will Ferrell, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg and Steve Carrell alongside NHL alumni. The event was not only designed to be just a fundraiser, but as a celebration of the resilience and gratitude of Angelenos. Led by the Kings President Luc Robitaille and supported by AEG and Kings Care Foundation, the initiative raised more than $1.5 million for local organizations including the American Red Cross, LA Fire Foundation and Pasadena Community Foundation. The Kings also mobilized over 100 volunteers to help collect and then distribute 200,000 in-kind donations from the community to displaced community members.

New York Yankees
Since 2009, the New York Yankees’ HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) brings together players, staff and ownership in a weeklong, organization-wide celebration of unsung heroes making a difference in their communities. The initiative has recognized more than 75 causes at the Major League level and more than 400 organizations through the Yankees’ Minor League affiliates. Each day during HOPE Week, players step off the field to surprise and honor individuals and nonprofit organizations — offering not only transformative support but also national visibility and media exposure. The 27-time World Series champions also engage their corporate partners for their input and expertise, widening the circle of involvement and the impact of the initiative. Backed by the Steinbrenner family, and embraced by General Manager Brian Cashman, Manager Aaron Boone and Yankees legends from Derek Jeter to Aaron Judge, HOPE Week has inspired similar programs across Major League Baseball, school districts and private businesses. Over the past 16 years, the Yankees have contributed more than $1 million to HOPE Week honorees, providing a platform for them to share their inspiring stories and contributing to their long-term viability and capacity for growth.

Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award Honoree
The Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award celebrates someone that is creating measurable social change through sports by using a comprehensive philanthropic funding strategy. This may be a team owner, a former athlete, a current or former front office executive or coach or an individual whose primary charitable giving is directed towards sports.

Michele Kang
As a trailblazing businesswoman, investor and philanthropist, Michele Kang — founder and former CEO of the leading healthcare IT company Cognosante — has built her career by challenging the status quo and driving systemic change. In 2022, she became the first woman of color to own a National Women’s Soccer League team, the Washington Spirit, and expanded her global presence in 2023 by acquiring majority ownership of OL Lyonnes in France and the London City Lionesses in the UK. In 2024, Kang launched Kynisca, the world’s first multi-team global organization focused on professionalizing women’s football and demonstrating its commercial and cultural potential. She has made multiple significant investments in women’s sports, including a $4 million, four-year commitment to support the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team and a $30 million, five-year pledge to U.S. Soccer to advance player development, coaching pathways and leadership opportunities. In 2025, she announced the integration of Kynisca Innovation Hub — a science-backed platform to optimize female athlete training — into U.S. Soccer’s Soccer Forward Foundation, increasing her total investment in the federation to $55 million and further cementing her commitment to equity in sport.

Corporate Community Impact Award Finalists
The Corporate Community Impact Award recognizes a corporation that uses the power of sports to help advance a social issue, cause or community organization.

Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings (“BWW”) believes team sports are more than just games — they open the door to teamwork, resilience and confidence. Yet, the rising cost of youth sports keep many on the sidelines. To change that, BWW co-founded the ALL STARS program with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, allowing nearly 3 million young people to play on teams through their local Club and enjoy the benefits of participation and belonging to a team. BWW has supported training for 2,000 Club staff in a trauma-informed, youth development-based sports curriculum. For more than a decade, BWW has invested over $30 million to build and sustain ALL STARS, and empowered more than 1,200 of its restaurants to fundraise, volunteer and advocate for youth sports in their communities. In 2024 alone, BWW helped provide over 2,000 clubs access equipment — giving over 560,000 youth the chance to join a team and grow through the power of play.

Cheez-It
Cheez-It® is redefining brand-led impact in education through its partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation and DonorsChoose as part of the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. By leveraging the power of college football, Cheez-It has donated $550,000 to support over 1,100 classroom projects—benefiting nearly 950 teachers and 188,000 students. In collaboration with local retailers, Cheez-It drives in-store engagement and directs funding to local communities, culminating in celebratory events honoring educators. Cheez-It also leverages NIL storytelling, where athletes recognize influential teachers with surprise $10,000 checks and game tickets, creating powerful moments that combine sports, gratitude, and lasting change in education.

Fanatics
As the official sports partner of Make-A-Wish, Fanatics enhances all sports-related wishes for kids battling critical illnesses. Fanatics leverages its vast network of sports partnerships (900+) and top-tier athletes (5,000+) to create once-in-a-lifetime wish experiences, including athlete meet-and-greets, premiere hospitality during sports events and gifting wish kids sports apparel and collectibles. Fanatics believes that the power of sports play a critical role in a child’s healing and emotional well-being, instilling a renewed sense of strength, resilience and optimism in their toughest battles. To date, Fanatics has helped grant or enhance over 600 sports-related wishes. This commitment reflects Fanatics’ long-standing dedication to community impact, led by CEO Michael Rubin. Under Rubin’s leadership, Fanatics launched the ALL-IN Challenge during COVID-19 to rally athletes, celebrities and fans to raise $60 million to combat food insecurity. Earlier this year, Fanatics rallied Los Angeles-based sports organizations to create the LA Strong campaign, with net proceeds benefitting LA Fire Department Foundation and Red Cross. Fanatics also donated $3 million worth of apparel to those impacted by the fires. Backed by a $10 million pledge to Make-A-Wish and a legacy of stepping up in times of need, Fanatics continues to unite the sports world to deliver life-changing joy for children and meaningful support for communities nationwide.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment
The benefits of participating in youth sports are well known and include developing leadership skills, achieving academic success and building emotional resilience. Understanding the tremendous impact sports have on young people, Monumental Sports & Entertainment (“MSE”) created its District of Play program to strengthen the next generation of leaders in Washington, D.C. to expand opportunities for kids most often left on the sidelines. With support from players across the Wizards, Mystics, Go-Gos and Capitals, District of Play’s strategy focuses not only on building and restoring play spaces for kids, but it also provides trainings to hundreds of coaches. Additionally, the program works to reduce the cost and complexity of participation by facilitating transportation for kids, providing equipment to schools and recreation leagues and subsidizing leagues and offering scholarships to make sports more affordable. In its first year, the multi-million dollar effort engaged more than 215,000 D.C. residents, distributed nearly 30,000 basketballs to public school students and opened five new or refurbished play spaces. Because of MSE’s leadership and programming, teachers reported better attendance, with students encouraging peers to attend school.

Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award Honoree
In honor of former ESPN commentator Stuart Scott, this award celebrates individuals that have taken risks and used an innovative approach to helping the disadvantaged through the power of sports.

Billy Bean
As one of the only two openly gay Major League Baseball players, Billy Bean sacrificed his playing career following the 1995 season because he felt living as a closeted baseball player was untenable, and he also believed that neither he nor the game were ready for an openly gay Major League player. More than three years after he left the game, Bean came out in 1999 — becoming only the second player and only living openly gay player (current or former) to ever to do so. Fifteen years later, Bean joined the Office of the Commissioner, hired by then-Commissioner Bud Selig as MLB’s first-ever Ambassador for Inclusion, and he eventually became senior advisor to Commissioner Rob Manfred, focusing on player education, LGBTQ inclusion and social justice initiatives. In 2017, Bean was promoted to Vice President and Special Assistant to the Commissioner, where he oversaw MLB’s anti-bullying efforts and partnered with ESPN and X Games through Shred Hate, Choose Kindness to reduce bullying in schools across the country. In part due to Bean’s leadership, the program provided bullying prevention training to more than 90,000 students and 11,000 teachers. He also was instrumental of baseball’s support of Spirit Day, MLB’s “Ahead in the Count” education program and in elevating the visibility of MLB’s mental wellness resources. In September 2023, Bean was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and after a courageous battle against cancer, he passed away in August 2024.

The Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award Honorees
The Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award celebrates and honors young people who are using the power of sport as a catalyst for change and making a positive impact on society. The Award includes three Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees and 20 regional recipients. National honorees are:

Maegha Ramanathan
Maegha Ramanathan founded Girls4Sports, a youth-led nonprofit based in Dublin, Calif., dedicated to expanding access to sports for underserved girls while addressing gender inequality in athletics. After facing sexism as a competitive swimmer, Maegha channeled her frustration into action, building a national network that uses sports as a tool for empowerment and leadership development. What started with cold emails and donated equipment has grown into a robust, multi-chapter organization with 1,500 volunteers and programs in 20 states. To date, Girls4Sports has integrated 39,600 underserved girls into 250 sports programs and donated over 10,350 pieces of sports equipment to 70 children’s homes, hospitals and teams. The organization offers free seasonal sports camps, professional athlete speaker events, advocacy workshops and school-based team development, like launching Dublin High School’s first-ever girls’ flag football team. To date, Girls4Sports has cultivated 1,000 student changemakers and built an inclusive community that inspires girls to lead.

Rishin Tandon
As a youth climate advocate from Issaquah, Wash., Rishin Tandon is using the power of sport to address the intersection of environmental sustainability and sports equity. Troubled by the environmental inconsistencies he observed in youth sports, from long, gas-powered commutes to practices canceled due to poor air quality, Rishin realized these weren’t just environmental issues, but equity issues. He recognized that conditions like extreme heat, poor air quality and lack of shade disproportionately affect under-resourced communities, and that limited access to facilities, transportation and infrastructure widens the gap in who can safely play sports. This led Rishin to create YESS (Youth Eco Sports Scorecard), the first grassroots tool designed to embed climate action into everyday youth sports. With input from global climate leaders and data from 13 different sports, YESS evaluates teams across five categories, including transportation, waste, and climate readiness, using behavioral nudges to drive change. Since its inception, 46% of participating teams using YESS report consistent use of refillable water bottles, while 50% follow guidelines for heat and air quality safety.

Ian Waite
After seeing a former teammate stuck in a minimum-wage job without guidance or support after high school, Ian Waite of Boca Raton, Fla. created Bigger Than Sports (BTS), a fully Gen Z–led nonprofit building pathways to success for student-athletes from underserved communities. By building on what sports already gave them — discipline, teamwork, time management and resilience — and helping these student-athletes transfer those traits into the rest of their lives, Ian built BTS’ peer-to-peer mentorship model to help high school athletes chart paths beyond sports, addressing a systemic gap in post-graduation planning. In BTS’s first year, 100% of mentored student-athletes built structured post-high school plans, and all reported increased confidence and meaningful connections through near-peer support. Under Ian’s leadership, BTS has expanded rapidly, scaling to six high schools across two states, reaching over 300 families through community-unifying tournaments and launching a new summer camp that combines sports with mental health, mindfulness and leadership workshops.

In addition to the three Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award national honorees, the following young people have been named regional recipients:

  •   Julia Banuelos, California
  •   Indigo Bruehwiler, West Virginia
  •   Daryl Fletcher, Maryland
  •   Ezra French, California
  •   Chris “CJ” Matthews, Georgia
  •   Sydney Mednik, Maryland
  •   Maggie Munson, Wisconsin
  •   Isabelle “Izzy” Murphy, Massachusetts
  •   Marlies Nauman, California
  •   Olivia Ohlson, Illinois
  •   Arden Pala, California
  •   Emily Pape, New York
  •   Josephine “Josie” Portell, Missouri
  •   Taylor Roberts, Tennessee
  •   Amy Schwem, Virginia
  •   Emerson “Emmy” Su, California
  •   Vick Tan, Minnesota
  •   Niam Taylor, California
  •   Leah Wang, Texas
  •   Brianna Zhang, Michigan

-30-

About ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplift the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use power of sport to positively address society’s 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.