The San Francisco Giants were named the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year by ESPN at the second annual Sports Humanitarian awards ceremony in Los Angeles last night. The event honored leagues, teams, individuals and members of the sporting community that are using the power of sport to make a positive impact on society. The net proceeds of the event benefited the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation.
 
The Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year represents a sports team that demonstrates how teamwork can create a measurable impact on a community or cause. The Giants were recognized for all of their community outreach efforts, including the Junior Giants, a free, non-competitive and innovative baseball program. Over the years, the program has served more than 275,000 children around California, Nevada and Oregon with the help of 35,000 coaches. The Junior Giants also focus on the four bases of character development - Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork - and offers programs in Education, Health and Violence Prevention. The Giants will be able to direct a $100,000 grant from ESPN to the Giants Community Fund.
 
San Francisco Giants President and Chief Executive Officer, Larry Baer, was in Los Angeles to accept the award on behalf of the Giants. Baer expressed the importance of making a positive impact on society through sports, "When I think about the wrenching events during the past few weeks - in Orlando, Baton Rouge, St. Paul and Dallas - I know that now, more than ever, we in the sports world have a responsibility to step beyond the comfort zone of our ballparks and arenas and ask, "How can we help? What can we do to unite our communities?'' I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Giants Community Relations Department and the Giants Community Fund, who never stop asking those questions."