Philly girls rock!
So often, people flash onto the world stage and disappear before we get to know them. One-and-dones. One-hit wonders.
Not Mo’ne Davis. She won’t let us forget her name.
As a 13-year-old member of the Philadelphia Taney Dragons, Mo’ne Davis became the second girl, and the first African-American girl, to appear in the Little League World Series. She is the first girl to pitch and win a game and pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history.
HarperCollins Publishers
Mo’ne also amassed an impressive list of honors and achievements in the wake of her World Series performances:
— Time magazine chose her as one of 2014’s 25 most influential teens.
— She won the 2014 ESPY award as Best Breakthrough Athlete.
— Sports Illustrated named her the 2014 Sports Kid of the Year.
— She recounts the story in her memoir, Mo’ne Davis: Remember My Name, coauthored with Hilary Beard.
— A Spike Lee documentary, I Throw Like a Girl, tells her story with professional polish.
What Have You Done for Us Lately?
Now 15 years old, Mo’ne still plays sports. Four sports to be exact.
A student at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, Mo’ne plays for the school’s varsity basketball, soccer, and softball teams as well as basketball for Philly Triple Threat on the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball circuit and baseball for the Anderson Monarchs Baseball Club.
Most recently, Mo’ne added another championship to her resume. Playing on the Philadelphia Phillies and representing the Mid-Atlantic region in the 2017 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, Mo’ne and her teammates won the Junior Baseball Division Championship.
Although Mo’ne continues to excel in baseball, her first love is basketball, and her ultimate goal is to play in the WNBA. Several prominent colleges—include perennial champions UConn—have been watching her progress. Although she once expressed desire to play at UConn, in a recent interview with Anthony Castrovince of mlb.com, Mo’ne says, “I have a different playing style, an old-school playing style. I like to slow things down if the team’s on the run, get the ball moving a little bit.”
So, She’s a Talented Athlete. Big Deal.
Fine. Mo’ne is an athletic phenom. There’s more to life than athletics.
Absolutely. Mo’ne agrees with you.
“Hopefully, that’s not going to be the peak of my life,” Davis says of her Little League World Series experience in a recent interview with Owen McCue of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I have to keep going up and keep working hard and staying focused and just being myself.”
Photo by Lorie Shaull
Despite all the accolades, she knows that her successes have come as part of a team, and she’s quick to give credit to her teammates and coaches. The 15-year-old honor-roll student also takes her responsibilities as a role model seriously. She points to hard work and dedication as keys to her success in life, not just in school and sports.
She also looks to the wider community. Mo’ne lent her name and support to M4D3 (Make A Difference Everyday), creating a collection of sneakers for children and women. Proceeds from the sale of Mo’ne-branded sneakers benefit Plan International USA’s Because I Am a Girl initiative, which seeks to aid girls living in poverty in developing countries.
At the 2014 Little League World Series, Mo’ne Davis captured our attention with her poise, charisma, and talent. Three years later, she is determined to prove that she is not a one-hit wonder.
Philly girls rock!