John Cena Nominated for Sports Humanitarian of the Year at New ESPN Awards Show

John Cena’s lengthy run as one of the top guys in World Wrestling Entertainment has left a sour taste in the mouth of many hardcore fans who wish to see new faces rise to the top of the food chain.

Even with a slew of naysayers who wish to see his career crumble, Cena has continued to remain a positive force for the company, both inside the ring and out.

His work as a humanitarian is about to be recognized, as the 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion is one of four nominees for Sports Humanitarian of the Year at a new awards show for ESPN.

The show will be taped on July 14 in front of roughly 300 people at the Conga Room at L.A. Live, which will air as a 30-minute show on July 23.

Per SportsBusinessDaily.com:

ESPN has pledged $400,000 in grants to continue some of the efforts being honored during the awards.

The show will hand out six awards in total. Two will be announced that night: the Sports Humanitarian of the Year (finalists are the San Francisco 49ers’ Anquan Boldin, the Indiana Fever’s Tamika Catchings, WWE’s John Cena and the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist) and the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year (finalists are the Chicago Bulls, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers and WWE Community Relations).

The other four awards will honor sports figures and brands: MLB Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and his wife Sue for spearheading MLB’s Stand Up to Cancer Campaign; Seahawks coach Pete Carroll for his violence prevention efforts in Los Angeles and Seattle; the NHL’s “You Can Play” project; and P&G’s “Always Like A Girl” campaign.

Editor’s Note

Well deserved. Obviously. WWE loves to remind everyone of the charity work John Cena does. Which is fine, by the way. He’s a good man with a big heart. No one can deny that.

Follow @WalderSports