An unofficial kick off to the season of giving and the excitement of the holidays, the St. Louis Sports Commission just announced the recipients of the 2021 Musial Awards. From the Tokyo Olympics to Scripps National Spelling Bee, those being honored with this award represent not only all types of athletes but exemplify the best in all of us.

This year’s recipients include:

Zaila Avant-Garde, winner of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, will receive the 2021 Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character for the poise and grace she showed through the pressure of competition and the accolades that followed.

Wayne and Janey Gretzky are being awarded the 2021 Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship.

Mutaz Barshim & Gianmarco Tamberi. When tied atop the standings, the Olympic high jumpers asked, “Can we have two golds?” The official nodded, setting off a wild celebration and embrace by the two athletes who decided it was far more meaningful to share the title of Olympic champion.

Buffalo Bills Fans (represented by William Burke and Dan Konopski): After an injury to Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Burke and Konopski took to social media to encourage the team’s fan base to donate $8 (Jackson’s uniform number) to Blessings in a Backpack, a Louisville-based charity Jackson is associated with. The charity helps feed elementary school students across the nation. A few days later, 18,450 individual donations in Jackson’s honor had been made and more than $550,000 raised.

Lavel Dumont: The University of Toledo offensive lineman is being recognized for the special friendship he initiated with a Toledo teen and the impact he has made.

Bryce Harper: In a late-April series vs. the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Phillies star outfielder was hit in the face by a 97-mph fastball from Génesis Cabrera. Instead of being angry and upset, Harper was concerned for the opposing pitcher’s well-being and wanted Cabrera to be assured that he knew the pitch was unintentional. It was a tremendous show of empathy and sportsmanship, and diffused what could have been a volatile situation between the two teams.

Rebel Hays: A fifth grader from West Fork, Ark., Hays serves as a guide runner for Paul Scott, a visually-impaired 10th grader who is a member of the West Fork High School cross country team.

Mario Hoefer: In an Iowa high school football game Hoefer noticed an opposing player down on the ground after a play. . Even though some of his team was calling him to come back to the sideline, Hoefer didn’t want to leave the opposing player unattended. A parent took a photo of Hoefer’s act of sportsmanship, and the image went viral.

LSU Gymnastics: The Tigers went above and beyond, welcoming and embracing UCLA Bruin Chae Campbell as if she was a member of their team. They rallied around the Bruin, cheering her on and even learning her floor routine so they could dance along.

The Musial Awards presented by Maryville University celebrate the year’s greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character. The national event is named for St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial, a beloved baseball superstar and civic icon who was the ultimate good sport. This year’s show returns to Stifel Theatre in Downtown St. Louis and will be packaged into a one-hour special that airs throughout the country on CBS on Christmas Day at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT.

Tickets can be purchased here: MusialAwards.com/tickets

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