Before you read this one first read the Women in Baseball Part 1 Players and Women in Baseball Part 2 Scouts and Coaches.
By Josh
This is the article that I really felt that I needed to write after watching the video where guys had to read mean tweets sent to female journalists. That video first made me angry, then the more I watched the more I felt horrible for all of the women who are doing something they love and being treated so poorly by idiots and wimps that pretend to be real men.
On ESPN, Jessica Mendoza is a part of the Sunday night baseball crew. She was hired in August of 2015 and has continued with the crew this season. Do I think she belongs on that announcing crew? Yes I do. I think she does a fine job. Is she the best baseball announcer I’ve ever heard? No, but she’s better than Joe Buck and that’s good enough for me.
Now I know that there are a lot of guys who think that they have the right to attack female reporters and announcers through Social Media. They honestly think that women can’t understand ‘Mens’ games as well as a man.
That is just a load of crap and as a baseball fan I want the game I love to be available for everyone to enjoy. Men, women, young, or old I want everyone to feel the joy that I feel being at the ballpark on a beautiful summer evening. I want everyone to feel the excitement as their favorite team wins a game and I want everyone who desires to work in baseball to have the same opportunities.
I enjoy listening to announcers who are true fans of the game. I grew up listening to Dave Niehaus, Rick Rizzs, Vin Scully and other great announcers who loved the game. If a woman loves the game, understands the game and has the skills to be an announcer then great. She is doing what I would consider a dream job for me.
That shouldn’t open her up to being attacked. Baseball fans need to rally around each other and encourage other baseball fans, especially female fans. The game of baseball is for everyone to enjoy and when idiots do stupid things that discourage fans from enjoying the game of baseball then the rest of us not only need to step up and encourage true fans but we also need stand against the idiots.
Baseball is the greatest game I’ve ever played, coached and watched and I want my entire family to be able to enjoy it. And if someday my daughter gets the chance to play, coach, write about or even announce baseball games then I would hope that baseball fans would see her passion for the game and respect that. It’s the very least all baseball fans can do.