On the University of Minnesota campus, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games is showcasing 16 sports, and 3,000 athletes from across the country are here to win one thing—gold. But, more than any medal, they want to highlight why inclusion is important and why it’s needed in sports.
That spirit is on full display while music plays inside Allianz Field on Monday, June 22, as ESPN hosts its Unified Sports Challenge. Honored guests line up and prepare to play Unified Sports, which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for shared training and competition. All of the professional Minnesota-based sports mascots are there to cheer the participants on as they enter the field of play. Special Olympics athletes prepare to team up with celebrities and media partners to compete in sports challenges to raise funds and promote teamwork. They play basketball, large-sized cornhole, soccer, flag football, and so much more.
“I’m excited for tonight, it’s a great location, and it’s one of my favorite sports stadiums around here,” Joe Mauer, the Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, says.
The stadium lights come on. Athletes, Unified partners, media members, and professional athletes start the action. Regardless of the result, coaches and Unified pairs high-five one another in a great display of sportsmanship. During the heat rounds, eight teams participate. Team Metellus defeats Team 4 Rouse 56-36, and local legend, University of Minnesota basketball star Mara Braun and her team take on Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs and his team.
It’s excitement at its core. Teams and their coaches scramble around to see who finishes the event first and who has the best celebrations. It’s a classic showcase of old-fashioned fun.
“It’s amazing to be here,” Braun says. “I chose to stay here for college just because I love the state so much. I got tied to Special Olympics in high school and have done it in college also, so my team volunteered today at the basketball games on campus.”
In the end, Team Metellus beat Team Zumwinkle on the last shot of the finals. The crowd buzzes, and the atmosphere amongst the teams shows why Unified is needed and why, whenever it takes place, people want to participate.
Editor’s note: SONA athlete reporter Michael Kelley contributed to this story. Quotes and interviews were done by Kelley.
