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The Indianapolis Colts were named Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year on Tuesday during the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards in Hollywood, California.
The team was honored for its Kicking the Stigma initiative, which has committed more than $31 million to raise awareness about mental health disorders and expand access to treatment.
The Sports Humanitarian Awards are presented annually by ESPN as part of ESPYS Week to honor athletes, teams, leagues and members of the sports industry for making a positive impact on society. This year’s awards ceremony took place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, California, the evening before Wednesday night’s ESPYS.
Winners in the Sports Humanitarian Awards will be featured during the ESPYs broadcast, ESPN said.
ESPN said the Colts were the first major sports franchise to launch a sweeping initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and fight the associated stigmas. The initiative has awarded more than $6.4 million in grants to over 60 organizations and helped establish the Irsay Institute at Indiana University—a national research center focused on mental health stigma.
The Kicking the Stigma initiative was started by late Colts owner Jim Irsay and his family in 2020. Kalen Jackson, one of Irsay’s daughters and a co-owner of the team, spoke in-depth about the effort on an episode of the IBJ Podcast.
Other finalists in the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year category this year were the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Yankees.
The Clippers and Kings were nominated for their humanitarian efforts in the wake of the devastating wildfires that swept through Southern California this year.
The Yankees were nominated for their HOPE Week initiative (HOPE stands for Helping Others Persevere & Excel), which it has conducted annually since 2009 to get players, staff and owners involved in community causes.
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