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St. Louis Cardinals’ First Baseman Albert Pujols was awarded the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2022 ESPYs on Wednesday July 20, 2022. The ceremony was held at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The 42-year old slugger accepted the award on stage to a standing ovation. “I’m honored to accept this award,” Pujols said, honoring the legacy of Muhammad Ali. Pujols recounted his efforts in providing medical care for the Dominican Republic and working with children with Down Syndrome. “Seeing their happy faces makes me realize how special life is.”
Pujols is the president of the Albert Pujols Foundation, an organization that, since 2005, is devoted to helping the impoverished in his birth country, Dominican Republic, and for aiding those who live with Down Syndrome in the United States, including his daughter, Isabella.
After thanking ESPN and the MLB, Albert Pujols thanked his entire family for the “endless love” that has given him his entire career.
Each year, the award is given to a sports figure 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.”
The other finalists for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award were the Minnesoata Timberwolves’ Karl Anthony Towns, NFL Free Agent Anthony Barr, and Brad Stuver of the MLS’ Austin FC. Anthony Towns worked widely with his community and the NBA in vaccine education and made donations to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in 2020. Anthony Barr created the organization “Raise the Bar,” a nonprofit that assists single parents in undergraduate students. Goalie Brad Stuver and his wife Ashley Stuver are advocates for multiple organizations in Texas devoted to helping communities and members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Albert Pujols returns to action with the St. Louis Cardinals in Cincinnati to take on the Reds on Friday July 22. He is set to retire at the end of the 2022 MLB season. The future Hall of Famer is fifth in the all-time Homerun list, just 11 behind Alex Rodriguez.
