Melanie Newman and Jessica Mendoza will make history next week. The duo will call the network’s broadcast of the San Francisco Giants’ visit to San Diego on September 29th. When that happens, it will be the first time that the network has had an all-female crew call a Major League Baseball game.
ESPN isn’t the first network to do this. YouTube broke that barrier down in July. MLB Network also had an all-female crew for a game in August. That doesn’t make the night any less special or less important in Mendoza’s eyes.
“For young girls, women and Latinas, to hear a voice that represents them is so impactful for not only the sport to grow its audience, but to continue to broaden the opportunities for more young girls, women and Latinas to do the same,” she told CNN Business.
Mendoza has been with ESPN since 2007 as an analyst. She first called a game for the network in 2015. Melanie Newman is no stranger to history. Earlier this year, she became just the fourth woman in MLB history and the first in the history of the Baltimore Orioles to call play-by-play of a game.
“Honestly, each earmark is just another page,” Newman told CNN Business. “I feel fortunate to be the one handed this chance, it’s our responsibility until there are no more firsts and its just an even playing field of all-qualified professionals who happen to look different.”
