A Chevy Baseball commercial featuring Mo’ne Davis and directed by filmmaker Spike Lee aired during Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, leading many to wonder whether or not Davis would have forfeited her amateur status by accepting payment for the endorsement deal.
The NCAA says that will not be the case.
“Mo’ne Davis may be paid for appearing in the Chevy commercial without impacting her NCAA eligibility,” NCAA spokeswoman Emily James said in a statement.
The NCAA expanded their rules in January to allow more flexibility for eligibility. They say Davis, whose stated goal is to play basketball for UConn’s women’s team, is eligible for all sports, including women’s basketball and baseball.
“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.”
There is no word on whether or not Davis accepted money for the commercial, which was a condensed version of 16-minute film put together by Spike. The commercial recaps Mo’ne’s whirlwind summer that saw her become a national celebrity after becoming the first girl to throw a shutout at the Little League World Series. From the low camera angles to Mo’ne’s narration, I loved the spot and Davis’ story.
You can see the extended film below:
