An Encyclopedic Review of

An Encyclopedic Review of
Women in Baseball
By Emma del Sol
Published November 20, 2014

Preface
Women have always had an influential role in baseball whether it comes as
owners, assistant general managers, vice presidents of different teams, broadcasters, and
even players. While we haven’t yet had a woman manager, Major League Baseball
player, or even MLB general manager, we have seen a woman strike out Babe Ruth, play
in the Negro League, and most recently became a Little League World Series hero. As
more opportunities within organizations are opening up for women in the “Good O’l
Boys Game”, hopefully it will just be a short time before MLB has their first female
General Manger. According to Sports Business Journal, in 2009 women held 39% of all
front office jobs in MLB, however most of those jobs are in community relations rather
than the baseball operations side of things. While there are still ore men than women in
any sport, this statistic helps keep alive my dream of becoming a GM.
I’ve decided to create this encyclopedic review of women in professional baseball
to show that women do have a presence in Major League Baseball. I’ve written
biographies of women who have been and are currently part of professional baseball. I
am not doing a review one very woman that has ever had a role in Major League
Baseball. I am writing about women whom I think have had influential roles within
MLB. I have also conducted several interviews and spoken with several women who
have had influential roles in the world of baseball.
Following the completion of this project, I hope I have been able to inform
people about women in baseball and the role they play. It will take time, but I am hopeful
that before too long there will be a woman running a team. In 10 years from now
someone could be doing a similar project and include me in it

Table of Contents:
Women in Baseball:
! Helen Hathaway Britton
! Margret Donahue
! Effa Manley
! Joan Whitney Payson
! Phyllis Merhige
! Jean Yawkey
! Katy Feeney
! Marge Schott
! Joan Kroc
! Elaine Weddington Steward
! Pam Gardner
! Suzy Waldman
! Kim Ng
! Wendy Selig- Prieb
! Jacqueline Parkes
! Jackie Autry

! Cristine Hurley
! Sharon Swainson
! Kris Rone
! Jane Forbes Clark
! Jean Afternman
! Mary Beck
! Jayne Churchmack
! Jamie McCourt
! Karen Forgus
! Laura Day
! Wendy Lewis

Name: Helen Hathaway Britton
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Years: 1911-1916
Position: Team Owner
College: Unknown
Known as “baseball’s first lady”, Helen Hathaway Britton was the first woman to own a
Major League Baseball team. Ms. Britton inherited the team from her Uncle in 1911,
after his death, and would hold onto the team until the end of the 1916 season. The
National League tried to get her to sell the team in January 1916 because the team was
falling behind in the standings. She didn’t sell the team at that point, but later that year
she would sell it for $350,000. Whether Ms. Britton knew it or not, she would be known
as the first woman to have played a role in Major League Baseball.
Name: Margret “Midge” Donahue
Team: Chicago Cubs
Years: 1919-1958
Position: Front Office Executive
College: Unknown
Margret Donahue was the first female executive who was not an owner of a Major
League Baseball team. Like many greats who came after her, Ms. Donahue spent her
entire tenure in Major League Baseball with one team, the Chicago Cubs. In 1929, Ms.
Donahue came up with the idea to sell season tickets. She later came up with the idea to
sell tickets at off-site locations, and created the idea of less-expensive tickets for children
under twelve. In 1926, Ms. Donahue became the team’s Corporate Secretary after being
appointed by the club’s then owner, William Veeck. Ms. Donahue worked with the Cubs
for forty years, and during her time there was known as the “first lady of the front office”.

Name: Effa Manley
Team: Newark Eagles
Years: 1935-1948
Position: Owner, Treasurer of Negro Leagues
College: Unknown
Effa Manley was the first woman to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She co-
owned the Negro League team, the Newark Eagles, and owned the team solely from
1946-1948. While co-owning the team with her husband, Ms. Manley was in charge of
composing contracts for the players and compiling travel schedules for the team. Ms.
Manley was also the treasurer of the Negro League, and was instrumental in improving
player conditions, salaries, scheduling, and accommodations. At the end of her career in
the Negro League, Ms. Manley was a driving force in creating fair player compensation.
She helped to promote her team, the Eagles, as well as legitimize and help the Negro
Leagues gain recognition around the country. Ms. Manley was also very keen on “giving
back” and promoted a variety of good causes through her team. Just as teams such as the
Red Sox honor a hometown hero during every game, Ms. Manley would invite soldiers to
games for free and encouraged racial equality.
Name: Joan Whitney Payson
Team: New York Giants/Mets
Years: 1968-1975
Position: Minority owner Giants, President/Owner Mets
College: Unknown
Joan Whitney Payson was the first woman to own a Major League Baseball team without
inheriting it, when she owned the New York Mets from 1968-1975. Before owning the
Giants, Payson and her husband were minority shareholders of the New York Giants and
opposed the Giants move to San Francisco in 1957. Mr. and Ms. Payson were majority
stockholders in a group that was awarded a new expansion franchise by the National
League, known as the New York Mets. Ms. Payson served as the team president from
1968-1975. She was the first woman to purchase a team with her own money, eighty
percent of the funds for the National League New York team came from her. On May 8,
1961, the Mets were given their name in her apartment. Ms. Payson was very well liked
by the players and was one of the major influences in helping to get Willy Mayes back to
New York City in 1972.

Name: Phyllis Merhige
Team: Major League Baseball
Years: 1975-President
Position: Senior Vice President, Club Relations
College: Unknown
Ms. Merhige is currently the Senior Vice President, Club Relations with MLB for whom
she has been working with for thirty-five years. A twenty-five year American League
office employee, she once served as the Executive Assistant to the League President. In
Ms. Merhige’s current job, she is the official scorer and oversees all the scores from
every single game, pre-season to post season. Ms. Merhige has worked in thirty-one All-
Star games, thirty World Series, and thirty League Championship Series. She has also
worked under five Commissioners and three American League Presidents. Along with
Katy Feeney, she sits on the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) advisory board.
Name: Jean Yawkey
Team: Boston Red Sox
Years: 1976-1992
Position: Managing General Partner, President, and Owner
College: Unknown
Jean Yawkey became the owner of the Boston Red Sox in 1976 after the death of her
husband, Tom, and retained ownership until 1992. Mrs. Yawkey was Chairwoman of the
Board of Directors of the JRY Corporation, the majority owner and general partner of the
Red Sox. Mrs. Yawkey never missed a Sox game and spent her entire career trying to
achieve that coveted World Series ring. Mrs. Yawkey was known to be heavily engaged
with her fans, players, and other people involved in baseball, excluding the media, whom
she hated. Mrs. Yawkey prevented Fenway Park from being torn down and turned into a
“new aged” stadium. In 1984, she was elected to the board of the Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum and became the first woman to hold that position. Upon Mrs. Yawkey’s
death, the street outside Fenway Park would be renamed Yawkey Way, after her and her
husband. They were truly the parents of the Red Sox during their ownership and she
owned the team until her death.

Name: Katy Feeney
Years: 1977- President
Position: Senior Vice President, Club Relations and Scheduling
College: University of California, Berkeley
Katy Feeney is the current Senior Vice President, Club Relations and Scheduling for
Major League Baseball. Ms. Feeney is in charge of scheduling all 2,430 games every
year, pre-season, regular season, and post-season included. Ms. Feeney started her career
in baseball as a Public Relations Secretary in the National League offices. She then held
the position of Assistant Director of Public Relations. Ms. Feeney’s father, Chuck
Feeney, was the General Manager of the New York Giants and later the President of the
National League. He gave Ms. Feeney her start in baseball. Ms. Feeney was awarded
with the Fishel Award in 1994 for excellence in public relations. In 2010 Ms. Feeney,
along with Phyllis Merhige was appointed to the Baseball Assistance Team advisory
board, also known as BAT.
Name: Marge Schott
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Years: 1984-1999
Position: Managing General Partner, President, and CEO
College: Unknown
Marge Schott was the third woman to own a MLB team without inheriting it. From 1984-
1999, Ms. Schott was a Managing General Partner, President, and CEO of the Cincinnati
Reds. When she bought the Reds in 1984, Schott was the first woman to buy an MLB
team. Unlike her counterparts, Ms. Schott was best known for her controversial behavior
and racial slurs towards African-Americans, Jews, Japanese, and gays. Between 1996-
1998, Major League Baseball suspended her for controversial comments she made. Ms.
Schott would sell her majority stake in the Reds during the 1998 season. Before being
banned for her racist comments, Schott was known as being a very visible owner, who
tried to kept ticket and concession prices low, so that the Reds would be considered a
family oriented baseball team. She never sat in an owner’s luxury box, but rather in a box
by the dugout where fans could come by, sign autographs, and talk to her. Today the
University of Cincinnati’s baseball stadium is named after her.

Name: Joan Kroc
Team: San Diego Padres
Years: 1984-1990
Position: Owner
College: MacPhail Center for Music
Joan Kroc was the owner of the San Diego Padres from 1984-1990 after her husband’s
death, and until she sold the team in 1990. Ms. Kroc tried to donate the Padres to the city
of San Diego; however, Major League Baseball rules deny public ownership of a team.
Ms. Kroc and her husband bought the team in 1974 in order to prevent the Padres from
moving to Washington. In Ms. Kroc’s first year of ownership her team made it to the
World Series. She also created MLB’s first program for players with drug problems.
Name: Elaine Weddington Steward
Team: Boston Red Sox
Years: 1988-Present
Position: Assistant General Manager, Vice President of Club
Counsel
College: Saint Johns University
Elaine Weddington Steward started her career while she was in college, working in the
New York Mets organization, and since then has worked her way up the ladder with the
Boston Red Sox. In 1988 she began working for the Red Sox as their Associate General
Counsel. In 1990, Ms. Weddington Steward was named Assistant General Manager
becoming only the second African-American to hold such a position. In 1995, she joined
the Red Sox legal staff and in 1998 was named as a Vice President. In 2002, Ms.
Weddington Steward was promoted to Vice President of Club Counsel, the position she
holds to this day. Ms. Weddington Steward is the first Black woman to reach such a high
position in Major League Baseball. Ms. Weddington Steward is responsible for assisting
in contract negotiations, league rule interpretations, and other legal aspects of MLB.

Name: Pam Gardner
Team: Houston Astros
Years: 1989-2011
Position: President of Sales, President of Business
Operations
College: University of Wisconsin-Stout
Pam Gardner was with the Houston Astros for over twenty years before she stepped away
from baseball in 2012 to run her own consulting firm. She began her career as Director of
Advertising and Communications with the Astros in 1989. She would then hold positions
such as Director of Marketing, Director of Marketing and Sales, Vice President of Sales
and Marketing, President of Sales, and then finally President of Business Operations.
After working for the Astros for over 20 years, Ms. Gardner held the title of being the
longest-tenured female chief executive in Major League Baseball. She became President
of the team in 2001 and helped facilitate the move of the Astros to downtown Houston, as
well as the construction of the new stadium, Minute Maid Park. During her time with the
Astros, Ms. Gardner helped organize the 2004 All-Star game. Ms. Gardner is a member
of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and was also honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s
exhibition saluting women.
Name: Suzyn Waldman
Team: New York Yankees
Years: 1990-Present
Position: Broadcaster
College: Simmons College
Suzyn Waldman is the current game analyst announcer on WFAN for the New York
Yankees. She is the third woman to do radio color commentating and the second woman
to do play-by-play TV broadcasting for Major League Baseball. Ms. Waldman has had
the longest active career of any woman as a baseball broadcaster. She has been with the
Yankees since 2005 alongside long-time play-by-play man John Sterling. Following in
the footsteps of Betty Caywood, who known to be the first female color commentator for
baseball when she was with the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. Mary Shane was a
commentator for the Chicago White Sox in 1977, but neither of their careers lasted as
long as Ms. Waldman’s. Ms. Waldman’s baseball career started in the mid 1990’s when
she was a TV broadcaster for the Yankees on WPIX. She was the second woman to serve
as a TV broadcaster behind Gayle Gardner. Ms. Waldman was also on the YES Network
where she served as a reporter on the Yankees Pre-Game and Post-Games shows. Ms.
Waldman was also the first voice heard on WFAN when it launched in 1987.

Name: Kim Ng
Team: New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and MLB
Years: 1991-Present
Position: Assistant GM, Senior Vice President, And Senior
VP Baseball Operations-MLB
College: University of Chicago
Kim Ng is currently the highest-ranking female executive in Major League Baseball.
Before joining Joe Tore in the front office of MLB, as the Senior VP for Baseball
Operations, Ms. Ng was an Assistant General Manager with the Yankees and Dodgers.
She is the first woman to interview for a General Manager position when she interviewed
for the position with the Dodgers in 2005. In 2004, Ms. Ng became interim Director of
Player Development for the Dodgers. Ms. Ng started her career with the Chicago White
Sox in 1991 as a Special Projects Analyst and was promoted to Assistant Director of
Baseball Operations in 1995. In 1997 Ng served as the Director of Waivers and Records
for the American League before joining the New York Yankees in 1998. Ms. Ng served
as a Vice President and Assistant GM for the Yankees and at the time she was hired, she
was the youngest Assistant GM (twenty-nine years old) and the first female to be hired
for that position. Ms. Ng has twice been a finalist for the GM position, once with the
Mariners and once with the Padres.
Name: Wendy Selig-Prieb
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Years: 1992-2004
Position: CEO, General Counsel
College: Tufts University- Political Science
Wendy Selig-Prieb was the CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1998-2002. During her
time with the Brewers she was the only female CEO, Chairman, and President in Major
League Baseball. Before becoming the CEO of the Brewers, Ms. Selig-Prieb was the
General Counsel for the team, and was part of the first in-house counsel for the Brewers.
Ms. Selig-Prieg was one of the more influential people in helping to construct Miller Park
in 2004. Ms. Selig-Prieb stepped down from her position as CEO in 2002, but continued
to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors until 2004. After college Ms. Selig-
Prieb was a member of the MLB Executive Training program, where she was exposed to
all the different aspects of MLB. This in turn helped her decide that she wanted to go to
law school. Her father is former Commissioner Bud Selig.

Name: Jacqueline Parkes
Years: 1995-Present
Position: Senior Vice President- Chief Marketing Officer
College: Mount St. Mary's College
Jacqueline Parkes is the first person to ever hold the job title of Senior Vice President-
Chief Marketing Officer for Major League Baseball and has held that position since
2008. Ms. Parkes is in charge of promoting the League’s brand by continuing to oversee
MLB’s advertising, marketing, promotion, research, design services, community
relations, and educational programming. Before earning her current title she worked in
marketing and advertising for MLB, and prior to that she worked for Jim Henson
Productions in advertising and licensing. Ms. Parkes has created the MLB Fan Cave, TV
advertisements to promote the Post-Season, build fans for life, and increase season tickets
purchases. Ms. Parkes’s has helped MLB to have eight consecutive seasons of record-
breaking revenues, including seven billion dollars, an all time high in 2011.
Name: Jackie Autry
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Years: 1998-1999
Position: Owner of the Angeles, AL President, Board Member- MLB
Executive Council, Oversight Committee, MLB Board of Directors
Jackie Autry is the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels from 1998-1999. Ms. Autry
had been with the organization since she married its then owner Gene Autry in 1981. Ms.
Autry has served as the Honorary President of the American League since 1999. Her
responsibilities included handing out the ALCS Championship trophy and the ALCS
MVP award. Ms. Autry is also the only woman to ever serve on the MLB Executive
Council on its Oversight Committee and on the MLB Board of Directors. Ms. Autry is
still involved with the Angels organization today and serves as an honorary Board of
Director’s member.

Name: Cristine Hurley
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Years: 1998-2007
Position: CFO, Senior Vice-President Finance
College: Northeastern University, University of California, Los
Angeles
Cristine Hurley has worked in numerous positions with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In
1998 she became the Director of Finance and Accounting for the Dodgers. A mere fifteen
months later in 1999, she was promoted and named Chief Financial Officer. The
following year, in 2000 she was appointed Senior Vice President of Finance, where she
worked for five years. In 2005, Ms. Hurley became the Senior Vice President and CFO of
the Dodgers, a position she held until 2007. Ms. Hurley oversaw all the financial aspects
of the organization including budgeting and financial reporting. She helped to reduce
non-baseball spending by over 10% and helped facilitate the sale of the Dodgers spring
training facility in Vero Beach, which gave the team $17.5 million extra spending money.
Ms. Hurley also oversaw all the information systems and human resources for the
Dodgers. After leaving the Dodgers in 2007, Ms. Hurley continued her career in sports
by joining the NBA and serving as the Vice President of Team Finance. She is now the
Chief Financial Officer for Tickets.com, which is a subsidiary of Major League Baseball
Advanced Media.
Name: Sharon Swainson
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Years: 1998-2003
Position: Chief Officer of Communications
College: George Mason University, Drexel University
Sharon Swainson was the Chief Officer of Communications for the Philadelphia Phillies
new baseball stadium, which opened in 2004, and is known as Citizens Bank Park. She
was the chief spokesperson for the stadium and oversaw brand and image campaigns, led
all the communications efforts, acted as the primary liaison between the media and the
stadium, led press conferences related to the stadium, and helped to market the stadium to
the community. Ms. Swainson worked with the Phillies from 1998-2003. Before leading
the charge for the new stadium, she was the Special Assistant to the President of the
Phillies. Before joining the Phillies, Ms. Swainson worked as the Senior Baseball
Operations Manager for Walt Disney World Sports and TV. She helped build Disney
Wide World of Sports Complex and booked events in baseball venues.

Name: Kris Rone
Years: 2000-2004
Position: Executive Vice President, Business Operations
College: Unknown
Kris Rone was the Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Los Angeles
Dodgers. In her first four years she doubled sponsorship and marketing revenue. Ms.
Rone created a premium-seat program for suites and dugout seats, and also created a
program to rent Dodger Stadium out for non-baseball related activities. In her first year
with the team she also created billboard advertising at the stadium. Ms. Rone created new
sources of revenue for merchandise and expanded corporate sponsorship. In her time with
the Dodgers Ms. Rone helped to increase ticket revenue by $18 million dollars. During
her tenure with the Dodgers, Ms. Rone helped to increase revenue by approximately $50
million. Ms. Rone also worked to increase interest in the Latino community through
marketing programs, which increased attendance by that demographic to 12% during her
time with the Dodgers. In 2004, Ms. Rone stepped down from her position with the
Dodgers because of irreconcilable differences with the McCourt family.
Name: Jane Forbes Clark
Team: Cooperstown Hall of Fame
Position: Chairman of the Hall
College: Bennett College
Jane Forbes Clark is the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Chairperson and granddaughter of its
founder Stephen Clark. Ms. Forbes Clark’s grandfather founded the Baseball Hall of
Fame in 1935 after purchasing a baseball for $5 that had allegedly been owned by Abner
Doubleday. Ms. Forbes Clark has been the chair of the hall’s board of directors since
2000. Ms. Forbes Clark continues to run the Hall today and does everything in her ability
to promote the economic and employment growth and opportunities in the Cooperstown
community. Ms. Forbes Clark is known as the woman behind Cooperstown Iconic
Americana. Since her installment as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors in 2000,
Ms. Forbes Clark has preserved the Hall’s history and allowed it to grow exponentially.
Ms. Forbes Clark and the Clark family is Cooperstown, and without them, we wouldn’t
have the 50,000 square foot museum that is home to every piece of baseball memorabilia
and history known to man.

Name: Jean Afterman
Team: New York Yankees
Years: 2001-Present
Position: Assistant GM, Senior Vice President
Jean Afterman is the Assistant General Manager and Senior Vice President of the New
York Yankees. She is only the second woman to be an Assistant GM of a MLB team. Ms.
Afterman’s career started in the 1990’s when she began to bring over Japanese players to
play in the Majors along with Don Nomura. Since then she has had a pioneering role in
bringing international players such as Alfonso Soriano, Masahiro Tanaka, and Hideki
Matsui to the Yankees. Afternman is also credited with bringing Hideo Nomo to the
Dodgers in 1995. Since Kim Ng left the Dodgers in 2011, Ms. Afternman is the only
female Assistant GM. She is responsible for conducting over half a billion dollars in
contracts each year with the Yankees. Before joining the Yankees she was a top agent
and negotiator for Japanese baseball players coming to America.
Name: Mary Beck
Position: Senior Vice President, Marketing and Promotion for
MLB Network
Years: 2001- Present
College: Unknown
Ms. Beck is currently the Senior Vice President, Marketing and Promotion for Major
League Baseball. In 2001 Ms. Beck joined the MLB and held the position of Vice
President of Brand Advertising and Marketing. She helped to promote MLB’s brand and
implement and support the entire League’s marketing efforts, in hopes of increasing
viewership and growing the popularity of the game. Today Ms. Beck’s responsibilities
include building MLB Networks brands, overseeing and running advertising and on-air
promotions. Ms. Beck holds the second highest position in the business aspect of MLB
Network under Tony Penitti. Prior to joining MLB Ms. Beck worked for Turner
Broadcasting Sales at CNN and TBS/TNT.

Name: Jayne Churchmack
Team: Cleveland Indians
Position: Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising, Executive
Director, Community Outreach
College: Unknown
Jayne Churchmack is currently the Executive Director, Community Outreach for the
Indians. In her current role Ms. Churchmack is in charge of all the Indians charities,
involving the players with the community, and helping to create the Cleveland RBI
Baseball Program. Ms. Churchmack has been in charge of donating large sums of money
to local inner-city youth through the Cleveland Indians Charities that she helps run. Prior
to her current position she was Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising for the
Indians, who are now second to the Dodgers in number of women in the front office staff.
In a 2003 interview, Ms. Churchmack stated “the Indians rank number one in the
category of female directors and managers in Major League Baseball. Over forty percent
of the Indians front office staff is women, and at least forty-five percent of their fans are
women.”
Name: Jamie McCourt
Years: 2004-2009
Position: CEO, President, and Vice-Chair
College: Georgetown University, University of Maryland, and MIT
Jamie McCourt was the President, CEO and Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Dodgers from
2004-2009. At that time Ms. McCourt was the top female executive at the time and in
charge of all business aspects for the team. Her job involved conducting meetings,
overseeing all the senior management staff, assisting in the launch of community
outreach programs, and creating new marketing and development strategies. Ms.
McCourt also created the Dodgers Women’s Initiative Program, which offered clinics,
seminars, and activities in hopes of increasing and expanding the role of women in
baseball. In 2009, Ms. McCourt’s then husband, Frank McCourt, filed for divorce and
removed her from her position as CEO. The McCourts would then go through a long and
public divorce battle, which resulted in the team being taken over by officers of Major
League Baseball.

Name: Karen Forgus
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Position: Senior Vice President, Business Operations
College: Miami University
Karen Forgus is the Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the Cincinnati Reds.
She has been with the team since 2006 and has made a large impact on the organization.
Ms. Forgus has helped to create new marketing, ticketing, and game-operations strategies
for the team. Ms. Forgus has also been a key facilitator in MLB related events in
Cincinnati, as well as league-level initiatives, including helping to plan the 2015 All-Star
game, the Civil Rights Games in 2009 and 2010, and the recent opening of an MLB
Urban Youth Academy in the heart of the city. Ms. Forgus is also involved developing
positive community relations, diversity initiatives, communications, broadcasting, and in-
game entertainment/productions. Ms. Forgus was initially hired as the Senior Vice
President of Affairs and was then named Vice President of Communications and
Marketing. During her eight years with the organization Ms. Forgus has instituted The
Reds Way customer service model, and in 2013 established the Reds Heads Kids Club.
Name: Laura Day
Team: Minnesota Twins
Position: Executive Vice President, Business Development
College: Century College
Laura Day is the Executive Vice President of Business Development for the Minnesota
Twins. Ms. Day currently holds the fourth highest position within the Twins
organization. Ms. Day has helped to construct plans to build Target Field, helped find a
naming sponsor for the stadium, created the new luxury suite boxes, helped to launch the
Twins Legends Club, and other programs to ensure the clubs overall revenue growth. Ms.
Day joined the Twins organization in 2008 and has helped increase sponsorship sales,
ticket sales, and the creation of a new state-of-the-art stadium. She also helps oversee all
corporate partnerships and ticket sales, which are two of the team’s highest revenue
generators. Ms. Day was responsible for all the naming rights and for all the new and pre-
existing partnerships of the Twins new stadium, which opened in 2010. Before joining
the Twins she worked as the Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Victory Sports, and
with the Minnesota Wild as Vice President, Corporate Partnerships.

Name: Wendy Lewis
Team: Chicago Cubs, Major League Baseball
Years: Unknown
Position: Senior Vice President of Diversity and Strategic Alliances
College: University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Wendy Lewis is the current Senior Vice President of Diversity and Strategic Alliances
for Major League Baseball. She is currently the highest-ranking African American
woman in the League. Ms. Lewis is in charge of implementing MLB’s Diversity
Economic Impact Engagements, which is a new program designed by MLB to advance
diversity efforts. Ms. Lewis is also in charge of MLB’s Executive Development Program
(EDP) and The Diverse Business Partners Program, which is the leading diversity
program in all of major sports. Before her current position, Ms. Lewis worked as the
director of Human Relations for the Chicago Cubs for eight seasons. Ms. Lewis created
the first Diversity Business Summit, a diversity employment and procurement event that
provided a unique opportunity for job seekers, business owners and entrepreneurs to
network with MLB representatives from all thirty MLB Clubs, MLB Network, MLB
Advanced Media and Minor League Baseball Clubs. Ms. Lewis also serves as a member
of the MLB On-Field Diversity Task Force.

Wendy Selig-Prieb, Former President and CEO, Milwaukee Brewers-11/13/2014
What has your experience been like being a woman in baseball?
-Being a woman in any professional sports league, especially baseball, you see
male players. From a fan’s point of view you don’t know that there are women behind the
scenes working hard. There was a time that wasn’t so gender specific. People didn’t
believe women knew how to scout or build a championship team. There was a feeling
that you didn’t play, you didn’t know the business of baseball and couldn’t run the team.
Since then there have been more opportunities for people who didn’t play the game;
marketing, sales, public relations, scouting, player development, and other traditional
elements. Specialization such as analytics has opened up for a much wider and diverse
group of people to work in baseball.
Did you always want to work in baseball?
-I’m lucky because I love baseball. I loved going to the ballpark with my father.
He took me to work before they had “bring your daughter” to work days. I learned about
the game and the business of the game. I didn’t have a master plan. I went to Tufts and
majored in political science. I then went on to law school and worked for a large
corporate firm where I was able to develop a skill set and figure out where that would
take my in my career.
Can you talk about your career- where you started, how you moved up the ladder,
and where you are today?
-When I first graduated college I went into the MLB Executive Training program
that takes 2-3 people every year. We go through a rotation where you are exposed to all
the various areas of MLB, player relations, management, and all other aspects. I was very
fortunate because at the time, Sandy Dangler was on maternity leave so I was able to
spend more time in the law aspect. This just solidified the fact that I should go to law
school. There I got into labor law, corporations, and litigation. In 1990, the Brewers were
looking at building a new ballpark in hopes of increasing in-stadium revenues, because
they are one of the smallest market teams. I joined the general counsel, and we became
the first in house counsel of any team. We helped facilitate the development of a new
market. I became more involved in the business side of baseball and I realized more and
more of how much I love the game. In 1992 I took on more responsibility for the ball
club because my dad was named interim-Commissioner of Major League Baseball. In
August 1998 my dad was named Commissioner and at that point I became President and
CEO of the Brewers, less than 3 months after having my daughter.
Do you think there will be more women like you in the future?
- Yes I do think there will be more women in MLB in the future. There are more
women than most people recognize. There are many more opportunities for women, but
the field is very competitive. The truth is to follow your passion.

Why do you think baseball still hasn’t had a female GM? And will there be one in
the future?
- One day we will have a female GM. There reality is there are only 30 jobs.
Women got more involved in the baseball operations side of things in the later 1990’s-
2000’s. Since then we have seen women like Kim and Jean having the opportunity to
work in that aspect of baseball. I have no doubt that there will be a female GM in the near
future.
Best memory working for a MLB team?
-My best memory of working in MLB has been the opening of Miller Park. It was
the culmination of 10-year journey. It was something important for the franchise and for
the community. It brought the community together and showed the importance of a
shared experience of the community.
Key pieces of advice from my interview:
With a good education and the ability to dream big, reaching your goals might not be
easy, but you must be persistent and follow your goals. Life takes a lot of twists and turns
so you must be open to things. Had I not gone into the corporate aspect of law, who
knows what I would have become. Having a plan is important, you must always be open
to opportunities.

Suzyn Waldman- Voice of the New York Yankees Interview: 10/11/2014
-It has changed a little bit since I started broadcasting over 28 years ago with the
New York Yankees, however, I am still the only woman in the booth giving play-by-play
analysis. There are women on the sidelines, but its different.
What challenges/obstacles have you faced?
- In 1987 the radio station re-edited tapes of mine to make my voice sound
different. I have also received death threats, been spit at, and have experienced players
treating me poorly because I am a woman.
What is it like being the only woman play-by-play announcer?
- In todays world there are too many young people that want immediate
gratification, which makes my job even harder. If you want to be in broadcasting you
must really know the sport and must grow up with the game, you can’t develop a love
later on in life. I grew up reading the box scores in the newspaper everyday. It also takes
a lot of time and money to learn the game.
Why do you think baseball still hasn’t had a female GM? And will we have one in
the future?
- Kim Ng is very qualified to be a GM, however there is still a feeling that unless
you played the game you don’t know what your doing or talking about. There will be a
female GM before we see another female play-by-play announcer.
How has the role women in baseball changed since you started?
- It really hasn’t. There have always been one or two women in the front office
and only one in the booth, and that hasn’t changed since I started my career.
What advice do you have for someone like me who wants to go into baseball? How
should I set myself apart from the guys I will be competing against?
-Being a woman you must always one-up your male counterpart. If you have a
goal to work in MLB, then don’t take no for an answer. I have always tried to be the first
Suzyn Waldman; I haven’t tried to be someone else. I never let anyone stop me from my
goals and never took “No” for an answer.
Have you met other women in the front office?
-There is always that one woman working in the first office, but there are always
hundreds of men working in baseball. It’s still a good ol’ boys network. If you see
another woman walk in, you can assume that you have lost your job. With the Yankees
we have Jean Afterman, who was able to bring in an influx of Asian players to the
Yankees. Women are not wanted in baseball, but if you work your way through the
industry and if you want it badly enough, you will be able to achieve it. Work hard and
show you know your stuff that is how I got to where I am.

Phyllis Merhige, the Vice President, Club Relations for MLB- 11/12/2014
-I’ve had a happy career for the past 40 years. I am a senior employee and was
mentored by a woman at the start of my career in the PR field. It’s a wonderful job if you
love baseball and women have had a pretty good track record within MLB.
-I started my career as a secretary working for a company, and while looking for
a job I saw that the American League was looking for executive secretary for the
president. At this time the American League and National League were separate. I was
than an assistant to Bob Fishel the Public Relations director. I learned a lot from him and
then became a Senior Vice President within MLB.
-Yes we will see more women on executive side. In Major League Baseball the
Chief Marketing Officer, Vice President of Broadcasting, Senior VP finance are all
women. We also have a head of Special Events that is a woman. Now there are women
grounds crews and women lawyers as well.
Why do you think baseball still hasn’t had a female GM? And will there be a
woman GM in the future?
-I do believe that we will see a female GM. Kim Ng who works in MLB is
certainly very qualified.
-Since I have started there have been more opportunities for women. The role
hasn’t changed. Women are doing more jobs that they previously weren’t. Now more
women are applying for jobs that other women didn’t even apply for before.

Interview: Pam Gardner, Former President, Business Operations, Houston Astros
Did you always know you wanted to work in sports/baseball?
- I always wanted to work in the entertainment industry because I enjoyed
working in something that people would call “magical” and I always wanted to work with
something that was a presentation. I grew up loving football, especially the Packers. I
loved sports in general and the energy that surrounded large gatherings of people.
-In 1989 I was working for a marketing and advertising firm in Chicago. I heard
about an opening through a friend with the Astros and I sent my resume in and joined the
Astros family that year. I interviewed and received the job of Director of Advertising. I
then became Director of Marketing and I seemed to click with the ownership and I kept
moving up positions. I then became Director of Sales and Marketing and Vice President
of Sales and Marketing where I was in charge of marketing and advertising for the new
stadium, and ultimately I ended up as President of the Astros. Throughout my career I
volunteered for a lot of things, which allowed for the hierarchy in the organization to
notice me.
- It was not difficult in Houston because I was close with the owner of the team.
However, at the owners meetings four times a year it was very difficult because other
owners wouldn’t talk to me, walked right past me like I didn’t exist, and would ask why I
was chosen as president. After two years I had paid my dues and knew as much as they
did, so if someone didn’t respect me I didn’t need to use them as a resource. I made sure
that half of my team was women and half were men.
-In the near future I don’t think there will be more women in MLB because they
aren’t interested in investing in women and minorities. There is a lot of the old sector of
owners still involved in baseball that isn’t ready to change. In ten years I think that there
will be more women in baseball in the numbers and analytic side.
Why do you think baseball still hasn’t had a female GM? And will there be one in
the future?
- There is still a mentality that you have to have played the game to run the game,
so that’s why we haven’t seen a female GM. I am interested to see what the new
commissioner brings to the table and I’m curious how he evolves.
What advice do you have for someone like me who wants to go into baseball?
- In order to be taken seriously you must volunteer and take any job that is open,
get involved with anything, and go sit with other people in other jobs to learn the whole
ball park of business. Because we are women we are watched more closely then men. We
must dress appropriately, don’t put ourselves in positions to be seconded guessed, act
how you want to be treated, and don’t give off the perception that you are there to hang

and get to know the players, because that is a quick way out of the door. Talk to people in
the office and ask if they will mentor you. The key is to volunteer for everything, nothing
is below you and you must be willing to get your hands dirty and don’t be afraid to go
ask if there is an opportunity you want to get involved with.
What has been the best piece of advice you ever got?
- There is always a way to reach your goals and always get a way to get what you
need. It might take time and money, but you must stay positive and just keep yourself out
there. I like to help young women like you because as Madeline Albright has said, “There
is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

Rachel Bubier- Syracuse University, SPM Alum 2010- Community Relations director for
the Houston Astros
-I’ve been very fortunate working for the Astros. We have a lot of women in the
Astros organization, especially in community relations. The Astros have been very open
to women in their front office, just look at our former president, Pam Gardner.
Have you ever been treated differently because you are a woman?
-Luckily I have not been treated differently. I haven’t come across women being
treated unfairly and I haven’t witnessed a woman not being accepted because of her
gender.
What did you do to set yourself apart from other people applying for your job?
-Community relations is very female oriented so I am lucky in that sense. The
Astros actually offered me the job after I had interned with them for many years. I think
that it helped that I was a female because we are very detailed oriented and that is what
they said they were looking for when I was hired.
Why do you think baseball still hasn’t had a female GM? And there be one in the
future?
-I think that we will have one day because women are becoming more active in
baseball. We have seen a transition in baseball operations, going from players and
coaches- to people who have played pro-baseball to now more females holding positions
in baseball operations. In the Astros, lots of women are getting involved and working in
the baseball operations aspect of the team.
-The role of women in baseball has been similar since I started. The percentage of
women is still the same and sometimes I forget that it’s a male dominated sport because
my specific field is women dominated.
What advice do you have for someone like me who wants to go into baseball? How
should I set myself apart from the guys I will be competing against?
-The first step is getting an internship. You must work tirelessly to get known and
also have passion, because having passion is a good thing for the team and sport. Because
I had an internship I was able to create a life-long relationship with the Astros. My goal
working for the Astros is to make the city proud, make Houston proud, and make myself
remembered for all good things I have accomplished.

Katie Berger is a former Syracuse University student who is working with Syracuse
Chiefs.
-During my career with the Chiefs I have been treated a little differently, but since
this is Minor League Baseball a lot of the time I’m just treated like one of the guys.
Sometimes it’s frustrating because players are male, which means the clubhouse is off
limits, and I work here yet I cant go in. Most times I just play along with the boys
because the sport is male dominated. In the Chiefs organization there are four women in
the front office. That would come out to a 1 in 4 or less average. In Minor League
Baseball there are a fair amount of women, however, women will always be the minority
in baseball.
Have you always wanted to work in baseball?
-I’ve always wanted to work in baseball because I grew up with baseball and
wanted a career where I knew I would have fun for the rest of my life. I got involved with
baseball in high school when I worked for the Binghamton Mets, and then in college
where I worked with the Chiefs.
Can you talk about what you current job is like? What your daily tasks include?
-Because I work in Minor League Baseball, I do a variety of tasks since we have
far less employees than in MLB. Basically I’m the office manager so I run the internship
program, I help with social media, graphics, ticket sales, answer the phone, whatever
needs to be done I help out with. Also, since shareholders own our team, I am in charge
of all the team stock.
Do you see a female GM in MLB in the near future?
-I don’t see a female GM in MLB anytime soon because it is still too much of a
good ol’ boys club. I think it will be a while before we have a woman hold that specific
position.
Have you been surprised by how many women are in MILB?
-There are more women in the industry than I thought. We have women General
Managers and women owners in MILB. However, I don’t ever see it becoming a female
dominated sport. At a young age women are taught and tend to go towards other interests
and boys are taught to like sports. I think that is one of the main why we wont see more
women in baseball anytime soon.

Epilogue
Out of all my school projects, I think having the ability to research, interview, and
learn more about a topic that I am so passionate about, has made this project the most
rewarding one I have done. I have been able to listen to first hand accounts that describe
the difficulties faced by women in baseball, like those faced by Suzyn Waldman. I have
also heard about the triumphs women like Pam Gardner have had over the past 20 years
in Major League Baseball. In a sport once completely dominated by men, women are
slowly beginning to leave their mark on the game. Baseball, out of any of the other
major sporting leagues in America, will be the first to have a female GM. Look at Kim
Ng, she’s the highest-ranking female in MLB, and has already interviewed for this
position twice. Only time will tell when she will finally breaks the barrier.
As analytics, marketing, and community relations are becoming more and more
prevalent in MLB, women have jumped on board in these positions. As women slowly
make inroads in the business of baseball, it is still a Good Ol’ Boys game and women are
still treated as minorities. We only have one female play-by-play announcer and I can
count less than a dozen women currently are in positions of power in the baseball
operations. Many believe it will be another decade before we see a woman GM.
I like to think that if there is a hard working, knowledgeable woman who is
passionate about the game, then we could see a female GM in the near future. As in
every other industry women will always have to work harder then men, but as times are
changing, I like to believe that baseball is changing as well. All of the women I
interviewed believe that if I set my mind to becoming a GM and I am just as passionate
and knowledgeable as I say, then no one will be able to stop me from reaching my goal.

Women can do anything men can do. So why can’t we run a team as well as men? We
can, and hopefully in the near future we will.

Bibliography:
Lapchick, Richard E. "MLB Excels in Racial Diversity; Gender Category Needs Work." -
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Other helpful resources:
http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/margaret-donahue-first-lady-front-
office
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-26/managing-yankees-as-she-liked-it-put-
afterman-in-baseball-s-trio.html
http://sabr.org
https://www.wikipedia.org

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