LAKE MARY, Fla. - Fourteen professional sports leagues on Monday announced “The Real Heroes Project,” a collaborative initiative to recognize and celebrate healthcare workers on the front-lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletes representing the ATP, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, USGA, WNBA, WTA and WWE, among other professional and esports leagues, including Activision Blizzard Esports and Electronic Arts, are dedicating their jerseys and uniforms to a special healthcare hero who is helping their community on the forefront of this global crisis.
Orlando City SC captain Nani will represent Major League Soccer while, Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan will represent the National Women’s Soccer League.Nani will pay tribute to Dr. Raymond Franklin, while Morgan will honor Dr. Steve Cheung, whose Pathology and Laboratory teams at Orlando Health came together to create a COVID-19 test that provides results in a matter of hours, not days, thus expediting patient care.
With the help of creative agency 72andSunny, creative production company Hecho Studios, and media publication Adweek, the multi-league public service announcement will debut this Wednesday, May 6 across league and team platforms.
Starting Monday, each participating athlete will share a personal thank you message to their healthcare hero on social media utilizing #TheRealHeroes. Throughout the PSA and personal tributes, athletes will cover their name on their jerseys or uniforms and replace it with the name of their healthcare hero.Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the sports world has supported their local and national communities in their own respective efforts. Through “The Real Heroes Project,” the sports community will come together to salute heroic individuals across the healthcare system.
The sports world invites fans around the world to join these world-class athletes on social media and dedicate their personal jerseys and team apparel to a frontline individual using the hashtag #TheRealHeroes.