Meet My favorite Spartan Athlete, You Will NEVER FORGET HER!

You hear the word, “Toughness” all the time in sports. It is a part of the fabric of games and competition themselves. In my job I get many opportunities to

You hear the word, “Toughness” all the time in sports. It is a part of the fabric of games and competition themselves. In my job I get many opportunities to do things that others don’t. Yesterday in the afternoon was one of those.

Once again I met my favorite athlete. Here name is Zoe and she has no arms. She is emphatic that she doesn’t play softball, “I’m a baseball player.” She is from Dewitt and plays in The Miracle League of Mid-Michigan. It is a league set up to help children with disabilities to get the opportunity to play this great game.

For the last two years I have been asked in participate in a game between former MSU athletes and media to raise money for this amazing cause and of course my answer is always, ‘when can we start.’

Zoe was there and eight of her other fellow, “Miracle Leaguers.” Each had their own disability. Some were physical that you could see, some you could not just look and notice. All of them shared one thing in common with every MLB be player.

What was that? All of them shined with smiles as they rounded third for home. At that moment they weren’t thinking about have Down Syndrome, or no arms or Autism, they were thinking about scoring. These precious young people were baseball players.

Kid who are routinely reminded what they can’t do, had the chance to feel like a normal kid. Which they are! As the crowd cheered and the media and Spartan athletes lined the trek from third to home to greet them they smiled, and each of us felt a tug. A nudge, a pulling at your emotion that made you want to cry and hug them at the same moment. Zoe actually told me, “Thank you.” No Zoe, thank you Princess.

These nine miracle leaguers where different races, genders, disabilities and ages, but at that moment they were just plain baseball players. So the next time you have bad day, or you feel like quitting or simply having a pitty party, remember Zoe and her friends. What is your excuse?

They are why we love sports. They remind us that every day in life we get told how we can be divided. By color, race, religion, gender or anything new our dial a victim society can invent. Sports levels the playing field. At that moment you are all Spartans or all Lions or all Quakers or Big Reds. Simply said sports remind us that long before you are divided by gender, race or politics we start out just as people. Different no doubt, but people.

Zoe is my favorite baseball player. She may not have any arms, but spend five minutes with her and she has heart. She has a heart that is so big that you forget about the missing arms and you see the biggest hero in the smallest package. Please watch the below video: