George Springer wore a mic at the ASG to inspire other people who stutter

George Springer has stuttered all his life but still wanted to wear a mic at the All-Star Game.

One of the better features of Fox’s All-Star Game coverage was putting microphones on players for in-game interviews. One was Bryce Harper, the other was George Springer, who had a great reason for wearing the mic.

Springer, making his first All-Star appearance, is a lifelong stutterer. By putting on the mic and taking questions from Joe Buck and John Smoltz, he hoped to send a message to other people who stutter. 

“I can’t spread a message to kids and adults if I’m not willing to put myself out there,” Springer said. “I understand—I’m going to stutter. I don’t care. It is what it is. It’s not going stop me from talking or having fun.”

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(You can watch part of Springer’s in-game interview here.)

Springer’s Astros teammates commended him for his bravery after the game. 

“Lots of respect for that guy,” Carlos Correa said.

“He’s conquered a lot,” said Dallas Keuchel. 

Though Springer was shy as a kid and hesitant to speak, he now accepts that stuttering is part of who he is. He also finds that the stutter goes away when he’s talking baseball. 

“[My college baseball coach] told me that I don’t ever stutter if I’m talking about something that I like to talk about, especially if I’m talking about the game,” Springer told Houstonia magazine. “The game is something that I’m comfortable with, it’s something that I love.”