The Clio Sports Awards will bring together some of the biggest names across sports, entertainment and media this December, with Michael Strahan, Flavor Flav and Kelley O’Hara set to receive special honors during the 2026 ceremony in New York City.
The 2026 Clio Sports Awards Show takes place December 8 at The Edison Ballroom, with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, podcaster and television host Pablo Torre serving as host.
The annual event celebrates creative excellence in sports advertising, marketing and communications, while its honorary awards recognize figures whose influence extends beyond competition and into culture, media, advocacy and storytelling.
This year’s honorees fit that definition from very different directions.
Michael Strahan’s Influence Extends Far Beyond the Football Field
Michael Strahan will receive the Honorary Clio Sports Award, recognizing a career that has evolved from NFL dominance into one of the most visible personalities in American media.
Strahan spent 15 seasons with the New York Giants, winning a Super Bowl and eventually earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His second act has been just as substantial.
Through roles on Good Morning America and FOX NFL Sunday, Strahan became one of the rare former athletes able to move comfortably between sports broadcasting and mainstream entertainment.
His influence has expanded further through SMAC Entertainment and Religion of Sports, where his work has helped create opportunities for athletes and creators to tell stories beyond statistics, highlights and the playing field.
That ability to move between sports, media and popular culture is at the center of his Clio recognition.
Flavor Flav Turned His Olympic Fandom Into Real Support
Flavor Flav may be best known as a hip-hop icon, but in recent years he has also become one of the most visible advocates for women’s sports.
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee will receive the Clio Sports Impact Award for his efforts to increase visibility and financial support for female athletes.
His involvement has gone well beyond showing up in the stands.
Flav supported Team USA athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics, with his advocacy extending to U.S. Water Polo, Bobsled and Skeleton. He has also used direct financial support and sponsorship opportunities to help athletes who often compete on the world’s biggest stages without receiving the same commercial backing as their male counterparts.
His SHE Weekend initiative pushes that work further by connecting female Olympians and Paralympians with fans and potential sponsors.
What started as visible enthusiasm for women’s sports has developed into something more meaningful: using celebrity and cultural reach to put additional attention and resources behind athletes who deserve both.
Kelley O’Hara Continues Championing Women in Sports
Two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist Kelley O’Hara will also receive a Clio Sports Impact Award, presented by AT&T.
O’Hara’s influence did not stop when she stepped away from the field.
Throughout her playing career and into her work as a media personality and producer, she has consistently used her platform to elevate women’s voices and address the challenges female athletes continue to face throughout professional sports.
Her work across storytelling, media and brand partnerships has helped expand the conversation around what an athlete’s influence can look like after the final whistle.
The award connects with AT&T’s “She’s Connected” platform, which highlights women athletes making an impact through business, entrepreneurship and community involvement alongside their accomplishments in sports.
O’Hara’s career makes her a natural fit.
Her legacy already includes championships and Olympic success, but the work that follows those achievements may be just as important for the athletes coming behind her.
Pablo Torre Takes the Stage as Host
Bringing the evening together will be Pablo Torre, whose career has moved across investigative journalism, television and podcasting.
Torre’s work has appeared across ESPN, MS Now and Sports Illustrated, while his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.
That background makes him an interesting fit for an awards show built around the intersection of sports and storytelling.
More than 400 sports and brand marketers from around the world are expected to attend the ceremony.
Celebrating the People Who Shape Sports Culture
Founded in 2014, Clio Sports was created to recognize the creative work surrounding sports, from marketing campaigns and advertising to branded entertainment, fan engagement, social media and live experiences.
But the special honorees also reflect how dramatically the idea of sports influence has expanded.
An athlete can become a broadcaster and media entrepreneur. A music legend can become a powerful advocate for women Olympians. A World Cup champion can use her platform to influence how the next generation of women athletes is represented and supported.
That intersection between competition and culture is what the organization hopes to celebrate this year.
“As we celebrate another incredible year in sports, we’re reminded of what a unifier the love of the game can be,” Maher Labban, Executive Director of Clio Sports, said.
Labban pointed to major international competitions and New York’s own sports culture as examples of how quickly athletics can bring communities together, while emphasizing the organization’s goal of recognizing the people helping move that culture forward.
“We’re looking forward to bringing our community together for another opportunity to champion creativity in sports and to pay a special tribute to the people at the forefront of driving sports culture at home and abroad.”
— Maher Labban, Executive Director, Clio Sports
More 2026 Clio Sports Winners Are Still to Come
Gold, Silver, Bronze and Shortlist winners for the 2026 competition will be announced in mid-November.
The biggest honors will be saved for the December ceremony, where the Grand Clio winners and the Of the Year Awards for Agency, League, Team, Brand and Media Brand will be revealed alongside the special honorary awards.
This year’s presenting sponsor is NASCAR, with AT&T serving as the official sponsor. Massive Music, MSQ Sports and Entertainment, and Navigate are supporting sponsors, while Burn & Broad and Ryval Studios serve as creative partners.
With Strahan, Flav and O’Hara representing three very different ways sports can influence culture, the 2026 ceremony is shaping up to celebrate far more than what happens during competition.
The 2026 Clio Sports Awards Show takes place December 8 at The Edison Ballroom in New York City.
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