Taking Over a Man's World

Sexism in sports is well documented, whether it be the paycheck difference between male and female elite athletes, the harassment of female referees in male leagues, or the lack of hiring of female coaches. The management and operations side of the sports industry is often overlooked and forgotten in these discussions. Little known are the women who are breaking down the gender barrier.

There is a remarkable lack of diversity in higher positions of sports operations. As of December 2015, 26 of the 30 MLB general managers were white men; two-thirds of whom have playing experience in at least the minor leagues or college. Six of the NBA’s general managers were people of color in a league that is predominantly African-American. The NHL’s  general managers consist of 29 white men in 2016 (the 30th position is currently vacant), while the NFL boasted that 24% of all general manager positions were filled by African-Americans in 2014. Little is said about the lack of diversity and little is being done to combat it. Introducing a whole new demographic to the position can only bring new ideas and raise the standard simply by increased competition for the jobs and different perspectives on how to approach the job. Leagues and team organizations need to face the same guidelines in hiring that many other businesses face to jumpstart diversity.

A major reason why there are few women in high position is because it is harder for women to get hired when compared to their male counterparts. Sexism is ingrained in our society and just like Nick Carraway said, “Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope,” (Fitzgerald 2). Whether the person hiring general managers realize or not, they view women as inherently inferior and less knowledgeable of sports.

Recently at the end of the 2015 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies were looking to hire a new general manager. The two frontrunners were Kim Ng and Matt Klentak, the former is an Asian-American woman currently working as the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for the MLB and the latter is a white male who had been the Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Angels for five years. Klentak was hired, even though many experts viewed Ng as the most qualified candidate because she had eight more years of experience in the front office. Ng has been interviewed for general manager position five times and has never been hired. It is well known that she wants to be the first female general manager in the United States, but owners are hesitant to hire her. Most likely because of the assumed risk of being the first to do so.

Society is past the point of pretending that girls are not interested in sports, but it still holds on to the belief that they do not belong in the sports world. Little girls already lack role models in the mainstream sports and there is not the same kind of promise of riches and glory in sports that is offered to young boys. To some, seeing that there is not a female general manager holds the same disappointment of there being no female presidents. Kim Ng is just one example of a woman who wants to be that role model. The media will cover the hiring of a female as a general manager extensively, just as they do for any hiring. But most likely because of the expected drama or the assumed risk, not because it is revolutionary.

A young girl who admits to dreaming of controlling her favorite team is rare, but a woman following through on that dream is rarer. Ng and her female colleagues need to continue to push the gender barriers and the sports culture to be more inclusive, so that there are more role models for these little girls to look up to.  

More info  can be found at womenworldofsports