Hey, it’s August. College football doesn’t start until next week, and there’s still three weeks until the NFL plays for real.
So why not?
At SI.com, managing editor Chris Stone explains the decision.
Thirteen-year-old sensation Mo’ne Davis, who plays for Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons, has become the first Little Leaguer to grace the national cover of Sports Illustrated. The 5-foot-4 inch, 111-pound eighth grader is not only taking the Little League World Series by storm, but also she has captured the nation’s attention.
“Last week, this week, maybe next week, she’s owned the sports conversation,” Sports Illustrated manager editor Chris Stone said. “How often do you get to say this about a 13-year-old girl? It’s the easiest type of story to identify as a cover story.”
“The writer, Albert Chen, said it perfectly in the story, ‘She’s a lot of things to a lot of different people, all of them good things: a totem for inner-city baseball, a role model for your 10-year-old niece, a role model for your 10-year-old nephew,’ ” Stone said. “Most of all, she’s a laid-back kid just having a really good time.”
Not to mention Little League is one of the few televised sports with any real heart anymore. Those kids are playing because they love the game and competition, not for a big paycheck. Mo’ne has more heart in her little pinky than half the players at the pro level combined.