— Nominated for Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award —
Uncasville, CT (June 27, 2023) – Today, the Connecticut Sun was announced as a finalist for the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year award for The 2023 ESPYS. The Sun is joined by the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and San Antonio Spurs as finalists.
The ninth annual Sports Humanitarian Awards is a celebration of the impact made by athletes, teams and sports industry professionals who are using sports to make a difference in their communities and throughout the world. For the second straight year, the Sports Humanitarian Awards will combine with The 2023 ESPYS Presented by Capital One for a week of inspirational programming that showcases service, character and achievement in sports. The ESPYS will air live on ABC on July 12 at 8:00 PM EST.
“Sports can be a driver of significant change, healing and advancement in communities across the globe — but it takes teamwork and collaboration to create a true impact,” said Kevin Martinez, vice president of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “Through the Sports Humanitarian Awards, we’re proud to recognize those change-makers who are using the collective power of sports to make a difference and there’s no bigger stage to do that than the ESPYS.”
The Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award represents a sports club/team that demonstrates how teamwork can create a measurable impact on a community or cause. Finalists will be featured in studio programming, with the winner announced at The 2023 ESPYS. Multiple sports leagues and governing bodies including NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, USTA, WNBA and WWE 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.
The Connecticut Sun have been nominated for the organization’s work in and commitment to underserved communities throughout Connecticut and New England through its “Basketball for Free” program. The Sun launched its “Basketball for Free” program in October 2021, hosting clinics in disenfranchised communities in the New England region with the goal of making the game of basketball accessible to every child with an interest and ensuring that these children have a safe place to play in their neighborhoods. Since the program’s inception, the Connecticut Sun has been able to impact the lives of over 600 participants. In addition to providing free instruction to children across New England, the team has worked to make Connecticut Sun home games more accessible to these marginalized communities by sponsoring bus trips to Mohegan Sun Arena on game days.
The Sun has also used its Change Can’t Wait platform to support police reform, health equity, civic engagement and community advocacy; while shining a light on minority-owned businesses, providing information on elections and voting rights, hosting vaccination clinics and more.
“Being a finalist for the Sports Humanitarian Award is truly an honor. The Sun will continue to focus on making a positive impact on Connecticut and New England communities through the game of basketball and other initiatives. It’s great to receive this recognition for the work that we’ve done, but it also drives us to keep going and want to do so much more.” – Morgan Tuck, Connecticut Sun Director of Franchise Development and Assistant General Manager
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.
ABOUT CHANGE CAN’T WAIT
Change Can’t Wait’s mission is to create positive change for all marginalized groups with a focus on Black and Brown communities within Connecticut and New England, through year-round partnerships, advocacy, events, educational initiatives and materials, and player appearances that move to eradicate systemic racism and oppression using four pillars–police reform, health equity, civic engagement, and community advocacy.
Established in 2003, the Connecticut Sun is a professional women’s basketball team in the Women’s National Basketball Association that takes residence at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX.
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