help us grow the game!
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to be "unique" is to be without a like or an equal. When we first sat down and thought about “Who” deserves to have a field named after them, we compiled a list of many people. There are so many great people that live in, came from, and represent Troy well! When we name something, we give it an identity, which can help people make a personal connection. The four men we selected have shown passion, sacrifice, and discipline, throughout their careers, making them unique in their own way. These four represent what we at League Sports believe in. Our complex will have four fully turfed outdoor fields when it is completed, and each field will be named after the following people: Mayor Ethan Baker, Jon Berti, Roop Raj, and Jamie Samuelsen. Help us make this complex happen because we want all people to know that it is possible to succeed by being who you are.
Jamie Samuelsen
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Jon Berti
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Roop Raj
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Ethan Baker
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Jamie Samuelsen, an icon in Detroit Sports. As a local sports radio personality, Jamie was known for his deep voice, ready laugh, and sharp but understated sense of humor.
Samuelsen spent more than a quarter-century in Detroit's sports-media scene, and it was a career that spanned all the mediums — radio, television and print. It was radio, though, for which he was most known, working since 2016 alongside Michael Stone on 97.1's morning drive show, after previously co-hosting a weekday night show with Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski. He joined 97.1 in 2012. Jamie was known to all as a loving, present, always interested and devoted dad. He was all in on family vacations, chucking footballs, boogie boarding, and they loved to spend time together up north. He never missed taking his kids to lunch on the first day of school, or bringing them along for a cameo on TV for Thanksgiving Lion’s game coverage. He was the dad at the dance recital, the basketball game, the flag practice, and always there for his children. They just couldn’t get enough of his time, love and laughter. None of us could. He will be dearly missed. |
Jonathon Berti is an American professional baseball utility player for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. Berti made his MLB debut in 2018 and led MLB in stolen bases in the 2022 season.
Berti attended Troy High School in Troy, Michigan, where he played for the school's baseball team. The Oakland Athletics selected Berti in the 36th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign. Berti enrolled at Bowling Green State University, where he played college baseball for the Bowling Green Falcons baseball team. Berti set Falcons' single-season records with a .423 batting average, 93 hits, and tied the single-season record with six triples. His 17 career triples were also a record. In 2010, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Berti led the major leagues in stolen bases with 41 (while being caught five times). He batted .240/.324/.338 in 358 at bats with 47 runs, four home runs, and 28 RBIs. He had the fastest sprint speed of all major league second basemen, at 29.6 feet/second. |
My career started at age 14 when I produced and hosted my own television program in Troy, Mich. In my first two years at Michigan State University, I was on the air at the CBS & ABC stations in Lansing, Mich.
I was then hired to anchor the news in Flint, Mich. where I did news and weather for four years. That was followed by seven years at NBC in New Orleans. After 24 hurricanes including Katrina, I moved to Detroit in ‘09 where an economic storm was brewing. I am an ardent believer in the city’s future. FOX 2 led the way during the 2020 elections, bringing you more exclusives than any other station in town. I was proud to have nailed down three exclusive, one on one interviews with then candidate Joe Biden. I also secured three, one on one exclusives with former President Trump. My final interview landed me in the Rose Garden with a one on one with Trump for 15 minutes at the White House. Election Day was exciting. I believe getting exclusives is about building relationships with people. I am committed to continuing this connection with our community so that we can bring you stories you won’t see anywhere else. |
Ethan is married to Bethany, a Marriage and Family Therapist, Art Therapist and Michigan’s first Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist.
Mayor Pro Tem & Troy City Councilman, elected November 2015 – Ethan has been a principled and dedicated public servant, committed to a robust and growing business environment, along with safe and community-centered neighborhoods for individuals and families. With a focus on Truth and Transparency, Ethan recognizes the importance of earning the Trust of the residents he represents. Troy Attorney specializing in Elder Law & Estate Planning, Business Law, and Real Estate Ethan’s core principle is that all clients should be treated with the individual attention and respect they deserve, in order to build lasting and personal relationships, while providing them with the legal expertise they require. Special Assistant to President & Mrs. Ronald Reagan in their post-presidential office – Ethan was essential to numerous projects, and was fortunate to observe President Reagan’s leadership style, communication savvy, and skill in endearing himself with a variety of people. |
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Located in the metro-Detroit area, League Sports, Foundation offers sports tournaments and sports leagues for all ages and interests.
Contact us at [email protected] for more information or to sign up.
Contact us at [email protected] for more information or to sign up.