Antoine Davis: Taylor champs bode well for sports in Michigan

BY ANTOINE J. DAVIS / VN STAFF WRITER

2021 may turn out to be a decent year for sports, especially in Michigan.

The spotlight most recently has shined on a group of 11- and 12-year-old baseball players.

The boys of summer from Taylor defeated the Ohio team 5-2 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Aug. 29.

There has not been a Little League World Series champion in Michigan since 1959.

Taylor North’s win is good for Michigan.

It is good for Detroit.

It could be a good omen for Lions football, Tigers baseball, Red Wings hockey and countless school teams, including the Detroit Mercy Titans.

The pandemic that invaded, if not destroyed, all our sports teams’ seasons last year brought to the forefront the importance of sports to student-athletes as well as fans.

Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, along with other athletes, both professional and amateur, expressed struggles with mental health recently.

Sports are an intrinsic part of our society.

They are a part of who we are.

As a student-athlete, the sound of cheering crowds is, not to sound too cliché, music to my ears.

Watching the cheering fans support Taylor North on the TV was both exhilarating and foreboding.

The passing months bring about uncertainty and anticipation for “normal” seasons for all sports on campus and around the country.

Here is one student-athlete who is certainly praying for a successful and “normal” basketball senior season.

We will have an opportunity to contend for a Horizon League championship and a chance to raise a trophy for the state of Michigan like the little leaguers of Taylor North.

The author, a Varsity News staff member, also plays for the Titans men’s basketball team.