After wowing the world with her arm and becoming the first female pitcher ever to win a game at the Little League World Series, the 13-year-old Philadelphian Mo’ne Davis is now starring in an ad for Chevrolet.
13-year-old Little League star Mo’ne Davis had the one of the best summers of any athlete in sports, as she captivated a nation in Williamsport, made an appearance on the Tonight Show, and sent her jersey to Cooperstown. Chevrolet released a new commercial starring Davis Tuesday.
Noted film director Spike Lee and Spike DDB, Chevrolet’s ad agency of record, developed a 10-minute documentary, “I Throw Like a Girl,” which features interviews of Davis, her family, teammates and coaches.
The NCAA. That proactive and ahead-of-the-times trailblazer issued a statement shortly after the ad aired:
“Since January, NCAA Division 1 membership gave staff more flexibility to consider unique circumstances when determining eligibility. The NCAA staff’s decision was made within this process and based on a combination of considerations. This waiver narrowly extends the rules — which allow Davis to accept the payment and still be eligible in any other sport — to include baseball. The NCAA staff also considered the historically limited opportunities for women to participate in professional baseball. In addition, Davis is much younger than when the vast majority of the prospect rules apply. While this situation is unusual, the flexible approach utilized in this decision is not.”
Davis has expressed her desire to play college sports, but not baseball or softball.
“I want to go to the University of Connecticut and be the point guard on the basketball team,” Davis told ESPN in August, while her team was still alive in the Little League World Series. “That’s like my dream and then go into the WNBA. That’s for [UConn women’s coach] Geno [Auriemma]. Geno has to know.”
The biggest consideration is that NCAA eligibility does not begin until ninth grade, so Davis was safe to strike while the iron was hot, said Lee, who appeared on Mike Francesa’s WFAN show this week. He added that all of Davis’ ad money would be going into a trust fund.
Photo credit : AP Gene J. Puskar
Source: East Hills Chevrolet of Roslyn
