Raheem Sterling was presented the award by England Manager Gareth Southgate. GETTY IMAGES
Man City striker and England int'l Raheem Sterling was awarded The Integrity and Impact Award at this year's BT Sport Industry Awards for "speaking out on a range of social issues, including racism." Sterling was recognized for his "fight against racism in the sport and for using his platform to call for more action to be taken." Dow Jones Sports Intelligence, the founder of the award, congratulated Sterling for the "impact his actions had" in addressing racism and other "social issues of diversity and inclusivity" (REUTERS, 4/25). Sport Industry Group Chair Nick Keller said, "With such a lack of leadership in public life, we see athletes making a stand for real change as something to be recognised and rewarded" (London EVENING STANDARD, 4/25).
Meanwhile, players in England have been asked to "send evidence" of racist online abuse to the Professional Footballers' Association to demonstrate to governing bodies the "severity of the issue." The PFA will show the posts to the U.K. Sports Minister and a number of soccer bodies at a meeting in May (BBC, 4/25).
