The seed was planted for Molly Underly when she was just 7 years old, growing up in Indiana. Her family hosted a special-needs child from Australia, who was in the Hoosier State for a competition.
“She brought a lot of happiness to our house, and I really loved being with her,” Underly recalled. “That was my first exposure to someone with special needs. … It led me to open my eyes and say, ‘Oh, this is amazing.’”
Underly is now a special education teacher and works for Special Olympics Colorado as the Northeast Unified Champion Schools coordinator and has been a coach for 20 years.
She has seen the impact of “Unified sports” firsthand on the athletes she works with and also their partners.
Unified sports brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. The idea is to have a shared experience, playing together, forming friendships and building bonds while breaking down barriers, stereotypes and misconceptions.
The concept dates to the 1980s and is a way to promote inclusion, while also providing a higher level of competition for more advanced Special Olympics athletes. Unified sports continues to grow, with thousands of programs around the world and more than one million athletes participating, officials said.
“Unified creates an environment where you see people differently,” said Louis Lauria, Special Olympics chief of sport and competition. “You see them through the lens of your sport. They are just people like you, playing a sport.”
Since 2013, ESPN has been the global presenting sponsor of Unified sports along with the global broadcast partner for the Special Olympics World Games, World Winter Games and USA Games.
“At ESPN, we believe in the power of sports to unite and inspire,” said Kevin Martinez, ESPN’s vice president of corporate citizenship. “Together, we’re creating opportunities for athletes of all abilities to shine on their local Unified sports teams, especially through ESPN’s Take Back Sports initiative, and on a global stage.”
The Take Back Sports initiative was announced in March and is dedicated to getting more kids playing youth sports.
Asked for an anecdote about one of the many athletes she has coached in local, national or international soccer competitions, Underly points to 21-year-old Katie Wagner.
“Before Unified, Katie never felt like she was part of something,” Underly said. “Now, she believes in herself. She’s never felt more capable and successful than when she’s played on the Unified team.”