Michael & Tyson: From The Diamond To The Boardroom

The Stakes: These “Baseball Bros” are racing to test their friendship, and for their moms and youth they teach baseball to in Vancouver. They want to inspire the kids and show them that anything is possible.

Michael Crouse (he/him)

Age: 33
Occupation: Former Professional Baseball Player/Baseball Development Coach
Current City: Vancouver, B.C.
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C.
Strengths: Communication, sports, awareness
Fear/phobia: Spiders
Pet peeve about your teammate: He can’t hear.
What will you do with the prize money? Use the money to invest in a bigger sports facility for kids.

Tyson Gillies (he/him)

Age: 35
Occupation: Former Professional Baseball Player/Baseball Development Coach
Current City: Vancouver, B.C.
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C.
Strengths: Accountability, energy, passion
Fear/phobia: Small crawl spaces
Pet peeve about your teammate: His Aerodynamics
What will you do with the prize money? Build a sports facility for kids.

Michael and Tyson met in high school where they both recognized each other’s passion for sports.

Tyson was diagnosed at an early age with a hearing impairment that has left him with 30% hearing in one ear and 50% in the other. He has been able to overcome this challenge with hearing aids and his ability to read lips. He left home at 15 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional athlete and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2006. Tyson represented Team Canada in the Pan American Games for Men’s Baseball, and won Gold in 2015 and Silver in 2019.

For Michael, athletics entered his life at an early age. While he played football, volleyball and ran track, baseball resonated with him the most and he chose to pursue that sport professionally. Out of high school, Michael was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and made his professional debut in 2008 with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. He participated in the Baseball World Cup, winning a Bronze medal, and also in the Pan American Games, winning Gold in 2011 and Silver in 2019, and was the youngest player on the team.

Both accomplished athletes, Michael and Tyson now own and operate a facility that develops the next generation of baseball players. Having been raised by single mothers, they are acutely aware of how important sports can be to a child’s development, and they want to be an inspiration to those kids. Besides, if they don’t win, the current crop of talent at their facility will chirp them HARD!

Learn more about Michael & Tyson here!