Chris Long

The 22nd Annual Webby Awards are pleased to honor Chris Long as this year’s Webby Best Athlete for his incredible work both on and off the football field, and for using his power of celebrity and massive online platform to do the most good possible in the world and bring attention to communities in need.

By selflessly donating his salary this season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville and educational equity programs in his designated “Pledge 10” cities, Chris Long is directly impacting the lives of countless students, and improving the path for students in the years to come. What’s more, as a Super Bowl-winning athlete with a massive online following of over half a million people on Twitter alone, by advocating for issues in the public eye he is also raising awareness, empathy, and action around the world. This enthusiasm for Chris’ mission is especially clear with his foundation Waterboys.org having reached its first milestone—in just two years—to fund 32 wells around Tanzania.

By using the Internet to not only engage with and entertain fans (which he does exceptionally well) but to promote and create fundamental world change, Chris Long embodies all of the values The Webby Awards celebrates. For this, it is our great pleasure to honor Chris Long as this year’s Webby Best Athlete.