St. Louis Sports Foundation

The St. Louis Sports Foundation, the Sports Commission’s charitable affiliate, implements programs and activities that promote sportsmanship, create positive environments for kids to play sports, and help young people lead healthier, happier lives.

Too often today, kids are turning away from playing sports because of an overemphasis on winning, unrealistic expectations by parents, over-specialization, or simply, sports are no longer fun. These factors put the long-term health of youth sports – and most importantly the health of youths themselves – at risk.

After all, the benefits of participating in sports are numerous, from a decreased risk of obesity to learning lifelong lessons about character and teamwork. Still, 70 percent of youngsters drop out of sports by age 13. The goal of the St. Louis Sports Foundation is to reverse that trend in the St. Louis region.

By informing and inspiring those involved in youth sports, the Sports Foundation seeks to improve the experiences for young athletes. The organization reaches out to coaches, parents, administrators, athletes and fans to make youth sports more enjoyable and to reinforce the values of respect, civility, selflessness and integrity.

National Sportsmanship Foundation

THE HOME OF SPORTSMANSHIP

As part of its mission, the St. Louis Sports Commission works to promote sportsmanship in the metro area. The organization implements programs that create positive environments for kids to play sports and reinforces the importance of respect, civility, selflessness and integrity at all levels.

At the forefront of the Sports Commission’s efforts around sportsmanship is the Musial Awards. Since 2005, the organization has produced this unique national event, which recognizes the greatest moments of sportsmanship, class and character over the past year. The event and its awards are named for Stan “The Man” Musial, the late St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famer who was one of the greatest players in baseball history and the ultimate good sport.

In 2012, expanding on its efforts in St. Louis, the Sports Commission created the National Sportsmanship Foundation to empower people across the nation to lead healthier, happier lives through the values of sportsmanship. This national movement based in St. Louis aims to inspire people to be good sports — all in hopes of creating a move civil society.

The Musial Awards®

THE MOST IMPORTANT AWARDS IN SPORTS®

Since 2005, the nation’s best sports have come together in St. Louis for the Musial Awards®, the most important awards in sports. Named for baseball hall of famer Stan Musial, the Musial Awards celebrate the year’s greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character.