To celebrate the dedicated healthcare workers on the front lines of the novel coronavirus pandemic, 14 professional sports leagues including the Women’s Tennis Association, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLB are participating in a campaign called “The Real Heroes Project.” There’s no denying that these workers are real-life heroes every day and especially during this time, so athletes are dedicating their jerseys to medical professionals. To show appreciation, athletes are replacing their names on those uniforms with the names of, for instance, nurses and doctors they know.
Fittingly, the campaign launched on May 6, which is National Nurses Day. Participating athletes include tennis stars Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Bianca Andreescu; two-time World Cup and Olympic champion Carli Lloyd; 2018 WNBA Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart; and four-time WNBA All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Ahead, watch a touching tribute from all of these athletes to healthcare workers sacrificing their safety on the front lines of this pandemic. The video, set to Beyoncé’s “Halo,” was made with the help of creative agency 72andSunny. You’ll also find individual tributes from big-name athletes.
“I hope that recognition will last beyond the pandemic,” Diggins-Smith told Adweek. “I hope we honor them every day. We have to give people their flowers while they are with us.”