Success of Mo’ne attracts more girls
But this year’s Little League event is boys only
PHILADELPHIA Mo’ne Davis was the talk of the sports world and beyond after becoming the first girl to win a game in the Little League World Series last year.
Her success has inspired other girls to pursue baseball, although no girls will be playing for the championship at Williamsport when the 16- team tournament starts Thursday.
“Females playing in the world series is a matter of luck,” said Stephen D. Keener, chief executive of Little League.
Davis and her Taney Dragons won the Mid- Atlantic Regional last year and the teenager captivated fans with her performance on the mound. She tossed a twohitter with eight strikeouts to help Philadelphia beat Nashville 4- 0 in the series opener for both teams, becoming the only girl to throw a shutout in series history.
That thrust Davis into the national spotlight and she became an overnight celebrity.
Davis appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was named The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She wrote a book, starred in a Spike Lee- directed car commercial, became the subject of a Disney Channel movie and met U. S. President Barack Obama and his family at the White House.
“You want to always follow your dreams,” she said.
Ellen Siegel, secretary of the Taney Youth Baseball Association, estimated a 20 to 25 per cent increase in female participation in her league this year, including softball where the league expanded to two age divisions. “The other difference that I noticed was in coaches,” Siegel said. “They seemed much more eager to draft girls for their teams this season. And that I definitely attribute to Mo’ne.”
Little League won’t have final participation numbers for the entire program until later this fall.
“She got a lot of attention so there’s probably a lot of parents out there who looked at what she was doing and hoped their daughter would have that opportunity,” Kleener said.
Beyond her performance — she was the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series and the sixth to get a hit — Davis impressed with her poise as her publicity soared.
She threw out the first pitch in Game 4 of the World Series, played in the celebrity basketball game at NBA All- Star weekend and marched with her Taney Dragons teammates in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
Canada, represented by White Rock, B. C., opens its Little League World Series bid Friday against Mexico.