After being passed over, Kim Ng has finally become the first female general manager in the MLB as the new Marlins GM. On November 13, when she was hired, famous women from across the US congratulated her on social media. This job has been long in the making.
In the past year, a variety of women have risen through the ranks in sports, from coaches to officials. But prejudice is still very pervasive, and the first women in the field have a big burden to carry, just as the first Blacks did as well.
"At her introductory press conference, Ng, fully aware that bad actors can point to one woman’s lack of success as an indictment of all women holding top decision-making spots, said that when she got the job, 'there was a 10,000-lb. weight lifted off of this shoulder. And then after about half an hour later, I realized that it had just been transferred to [my other] shoulder.'"
Ng had always been interested in baseball, and though her mother wanted her to go into banking, she jumped at the chance for an internship with the Chicago White Sox back office. On the job, she learned a lot and proved to be a very hardworking, diligent person. Later, she joined the American League office and was hired to be the Yankees assistant GM a few years after when the Yankees were winning. After becoming the Dodgers assistant GM in 2002, she began to think about taking the top job - but not without obstacles
"At the hotel bar one night during the general managers’ meetings in Arizona, former major league pitcher Bill Singer—then a scout for the New York Mets—asked why she was there and mocked her Chinese heritage with a fake accent. He soon was fired."
In 2011, she got another job with the commissioner's office, where she solved several problems, but continued to dream of becoming a GM. She refused to give up the dream, not just for herself, but for other women climbing the ladder behind her. Finally, after a series of rejections, she was hired by Marlins CEO and owner Derek Jeter, the legendary Yankee, who remembered her from his playing days.
"Ng knows more eyes are now on the Marlins, thanks to her historic role. 'I think there are degrees by which I will be judged,' Ng says. 'If the Marlins don’t make it to the World Series, I don’t think people are going to see it as a failure.' She pauses. 'I’m sure Derek will see it as a failure,' she says with a laugh. 'But look, I also have great confidence. I don’t think we’re going to fail. We all want the same thing. And that’s to bring another world championship to Miami.'"
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