9-year-old girl gets Chuck E Cheese to change arcade game's 'There's always softball' taunt

"You are brave. You are courageous. You are a game-changer."
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- A 9-year-old girl from Illinois got Chuck E. Cheese to make a change to one of its games.

Marie Marcum was playing a Major League Baseball-licensed game when it taunted her for missing a target, saying, "Hey, there's always softball!"
[Ads /]
Marie wasn't having that. So she wrote to the restaurant chain and the MLB, asking them to change the audio - and they did! The game was muted across the country until the audio was replaced the next week.

Chuck E. Cheese threw Marie and her softball team a party to celebrate the achievement. She was one of the first kids to try out the new game.

During the party, Marie got to watch a surprise message from Olympic champion and professional softball player Jennie Finch.
[Ads /]
"I just want to say thank you for being an inspiration to us all. Thank you for using your voice, for sticking up for what is right, and taking a stand with your feelings and your thoughts and writing that letter," Finch said, in part. "You are brave. You are courageous. You are a game-changer."

Finch also invited Marie and a friend to attend her softball camp this summer in St. Louis.



Way to go, Marie!
Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.