5 Women Make MLB History As First All-Female Broadcast Team

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball finally cut through the red lines and granted five women the opportunity to cement their legacy in Major League history. Melanie Newman, Sarah Langs, Alanna Rizzo, Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner will now be forever remembered across baseball as the first all-female broadcast team in MLB history. 

While the crew wasn’t exactly granted a ‘big market’ game – Baltimore Orioles against Tampa Bay Rays— the game was featured for free on YouTube TV. Thus, granting fans across the country the opportunity to tune in to witness the historical moment. 

So why was this moment so monumental?

Because like most sports, baseball has historically been a male-dominated industry who traditionally has barred women from attaining pivotal roles within the game. Yet, on Tuesday, the MLB finally showed initiative to break those barriers for good.

“It shows that the world is changing and it’s more accepting of different voices and different looks and perspectives of the game,” Rizzo said.

Yes, this was the first all-female broadcast crew, however this wasn’t the first time women have worked in a Major League booth. Female trailblazers like Suzyn Waldman, have pioneered a pathway for aspiring female broadcasters in Major League Baseball. Waldman, who narrated her first Major League game back in 1992, has been a staple of New York Yankees’ radio broadcasts since 2005, per The New York Times. While Waldman was delighted that an all-female broadcast crew was granted such a career-altering opportunity, she told The Times that she hopes that one day having an all-female crew won’t be ‘a novelty’ but rather just a normal event. 

It’s worth noting, that this wasn’t the group’s first rodeo. In fact, the crew was filled with talented and experienced women with a solid track record within the industry of baseball. 

Newman, who served as the play-by-play announcer, has served that same role but in the radio booth for the Orioles since last year. Langs who served as the in-booth analyst, writes for MLB.com. Rizzo is a former MLB Network host and Los Angeles Dodgers on-field reporter. Meanwhile Gardner and Watney currently work as hosts on MLB Network. 

In case there’s any question of Newman’s aptitude in the booth, know that given her experience calling Orioles games, her radio skills carried over onto television flawlessly and her calls were outstanding. For her part, Langs added solid analysis throughout the game. While Rizzo, a seasoned on-field reporter, turned in a solid performance as well. Finally, let’s not forget about the pre and post game shows which were hosted brilliantly by Gardner and Watney.

While the crew was grateful for the opportunity, in an interview with The New York Times, Newman also echoed Waldman’s sentiment:

“Having the first female tag is something that has come up in my career,” Newman said, “and it’s something I recognize as very important. But we also want to make sure that while we are getting all these firsts in there, that we also are not the last.”

It appears as though this crew won’t be the last all-female broadcast crew to narrate a Major League game, at least according to Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. Going forward, it appears as though the plan is to make all-female booths a more regular feature of games, and to add diversity of backgrounds and women of color, per The New York Times.

As Rizzo stated, “It’s not an all-male game anymore, and we don’t live in an all-male world.”