It was a typical afternoon at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2008. Seven-year-old Mo'Ne Davis was playing football with her brother and older cousins. As the young athlete passed the football and tackled the boys with great ease, she had no idea that her life was about to change.
The recreation center's program director, Steve Bandura watched the informal football game between Mo'Ne and the boys. He noticed that Mo'Ne “was throwing this football in perfect spirals, effortless and running these tough kids down and tackling them.”1 Immediately, Bandura knew that Mo'Ne had extraordinary talent and, with the right guidance, a promising future in sports. He asked Mo'Ne to come watch one of his basketball practices. Mo'Ne insisted on participating rather than just watching.
As Bandura
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In early 2015, when a Bloomsburg University baseball player made a crude remark about her on Twitter, she handled it with grace and maturity. The Bloomsburg player made a public apology but was suspended from playing baseball. Upon learning of the player's suspension, Mo'Ne asked the school to reinstate the apologetic player. She explained that he deserved a second chance. The university responded by praising Davis for her character, saying, “Her request demonstrates the type of person she is, her level of maturity and the empathy that her family and coach teach her.”
In 2015, Davis released a book called, Mo'Ne Davis: Remember My Name. When asked about her memoir, Davis explained, “When I joined an all-boys baseball team, my mom wasn't too happy. I proved to her (and to me) that I could do anything I set my mind to. I'm just a girl that likes to play sports and I'm excited to share my story with everyone," she said. "I hope it encourages people to take a chance and play the sports they want to play and not just the ones people expect them to