Ethan Bryan plays catch.
Every day.
He’s played catch in the rain and the snow. He’s played catch on 90-degree days and days when the wind-chill was -15. He’s played catch on a hotel rooftop, by a waterfall, and at the Field of Dreams with his Dad.
No matter what. Ethan Bryan plays catch. The reason is simple: Ethan Bryan made a New Year’s resolution to play catch every single day of 2018.
“When this first started, I didn’t think I’d last 100 days,” Bryan said. “My arm was so sore. I used Icy Hot for weeks and did all kinds of stretches. I was convinced I was going to tear something. Now that there are just a little over 100 days remaining, I really don’t want to see it end.”
His mission began last Christmas when his daughter gave him a baseball that said, “Dad, Wanna play catch?”
“I interpreted it as a gift certificate of sorts,” he says. “Both my daughters know about my love for playing catch and I thought the gift meant I could ask her to play anytime and she would say yes. I later discovered that was far from accurate!”
But on New Year’s Day this year, Bryan and his daughter went outside to play catch on a “crisp” Missouri day. A few hours later, after warming up a bit inside, he played catch with his other daughter. From there it became a quest, albeit one with a small problem, as he stated on his blog on January 12th:
“What idiot makes a resolution that requires the help of someone else every single day to pull it off?
This idiot.
Why?
Because this idiot introvert knows that life is meant to be shared.”
That’s been the biggest reward for Bryan. Sharing stories with people while playing catch. He’s played catch with mayors, politicians, news anchors, friends, family, former major league players, a veteran of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and a pair of two-year old twins. He captures the details of each day’s catch on his blog and it’s gotten the attention of the baseball community.
Early on, MLB.com did a feature on Ethan. Since then he’s been contacted by the Daytona Tortugas of the Florida State League and the St. Louis Cardinals to name a few. When he shared the news that his Wilson George Brett model glove died during a game of catch, Wilson stepped up and delivered a new glove to his door.
“Baseball, ultimately, brings people together and that is my focus as I write each day’s story. To look for the silver lining and celebrate how this great game unites us across all kinds of differences. The baseball community understands that a simple game of catch teaches us so much about what matters in life and they have cheered me on.”
What began as a quirky baseball-related New Year’s resolution has transformed into a life-changing event for Bryan. Meeting so many new people has made him a better person. Skipping a day, especially a winter day in Missouri, would have been easy, and there have been days where last minute cancellations have him scrambling for someone to play catch with. But Ethan is determined to keep his resolution.
Part of that conviction is helping others, and it goes further than listening to their stories. As part of his journey, Ethan is also raising money for The Miracle League, an organization whose purpose is to give children with disabilities the chance to play baseball. He’s designed a t-shirt with proceeds benefiting The Miracle League.
“I now wake up thinking about who I’m going to play catch with that day. 10-year old me is proud of this year,” he says. “There will be a part of me that mourns that first day I skip playing catch, whenever it finally happens. I tip my hat with all of my heart to say THANK YOU to all baseball fans for their support this year. Now, I’m just waiting for my one-day contract from the Royals so I can retire a catch-playing professional….”
About Ethan
Ethan Bryan is on a mission to play catch every single day in 2018 and write about his experiences.
His blog can be found at https://whisperedwriting.wordpress.com/ and he can also be found on Twitter.
