Sometimes the inspiration and influence of some people to do incredible things comes from the most unlikely sources, and they are not always the most obvious. Few would think that music has a direct impact on certain processes to be better at baseball, but the exception to that rule is Cuban baseball player Roberto Campos, who has attributed to this art one of his cornerstones to be able to advance and excel in theMajor Leagues.
The thanks to Taylor Swift
The 21-year-old, who is shining in the Detroit Tigers’ spring training camp, said he is a fan of music star Taylor Swift, whom he thanked for the influence to be able to perfect his English and thus overcome the language barrier that often slows down sportsmen when they emigrate to the United States.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Campos said it was Taylor Swift‘s music that brought him closer to the English language and made him perfect his knowledge, as well as his understanding and pronunciation just when he needed it most, when he arrived as a promising 13-year-old baseball player who did not speak a word of the language.
“I thought I was never going to be able to speak English”
And he did, without an interpreter, and thanked music and American pop culture also in movies without subtitles, for his evolution: “My Latino friends told me, ‘Hey, brother, you have to learn English because it’s hard when someone talks to you and you don’t understand anything,” Campos said with a big smile on his face, and concluded: “Thank you, Taylor Swift“.
Campos added: “It’s amazing. Sometimes I’m in my room and I say, ‘Man, I did it. Because when I got here, I thought I was never going to learn English because it’s so hard for me. But now, every time I can answer a question, I feel great. Man, inside me, I feel like yes“.
It was three years later, at the age of 16, when Campos got his big break by signing a minor league contract with the Tigers, complete with a $2.85 million bonus, then the largest ever given to an international free agent. He then played in the minor leagues for the Detroit franchise, the West Michigan Whitecaps, in Grand Rapids.
Today, with the opportunity to follow in his footsteps in the Major Leagues, the rest for Roberto Campos is history and anecdote.
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