Another Breakthrough for Women on The Sports Scene
Kim NG has become the first general manager in all of professional sports history and continues to lead the charge to show what is possible for women in the sports industry
Jan 21, 2021
Over the years, more and more women have become prevalent in obtaining larger roles within the sports industry for positions such as coaching, scouting and even front office jobs. One of the more recent examples is seen within Becky Hammon who became the first ever female head coach for an National Basketball Association summer league team in 2015 and eventually joined the elite coaching staff of the San Antonio Spurs under legendary head coach, Greg Popovich. This paved the way for many future examples to be set on the women’s scene.
However, up to this point, a woman has never taken charge of an entire professional sports teams front office— until now. On Nov. 13, 2020, the Miami Marlins broke a tremendous barrier for women in the sports field by hiring Kim NG, the first ever woman general manager in professional sports. The breaking news was met with tremendous praise and excitement, not just from the fans of the Marlins but across the entire league for what it meant for all people in the sport and our society.
“It is an incredible breakthrough that Kim NG has been able to pull off. Not only is this a tremendous win for the Marlins due to her impressive history but this also moves society forward as we finally get to see a woman in a general manager’s position in sports. Hopefully this is only the start and we will be able to see many more stories like her come in the near future,” senior Ryan Mcfadden said.
NG is also believed to be the second person of Asian descent to lead a Major League Baseball roster. She often thought of how difficult it was to go through interviews and filling out a diversity box and whether or not that would be the deciding factor in job decisions. However, NG did not look at it with a negative light. She wanted other team owners to see her for who she was to change the stigma of not considering women in professional sports throughout her career and to prove to other women in the same field that it was possible.
“She shows a bright future ahead for the Marlins with her previous success in the baseball industry and her hiring is a big stride in women’s roles in higher roles in sports,” junior Daniel Michel said.
This hiring by the Miami Marlins organization however was the furthest thing from a pity hire, as NG had paid her dues working within the MLB industry for over 30 years, beginning her career on the Chicago White Sox as an intern in 1990. From there, she found herself in the front office of multiple different successful organizations such as the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving her career resume with a total of eight postseason appearances, six league championship series and three world series championships. Coming from a history of long tenured success will hopefully rub-off on not just the players, but the entire city of Miami to create a winning culture within the Marlins organization once again.
Although this hiring does progress the sports world to a closer point of unity within all races and gender alike, the work is not yet finished. NG proved to millions across the globe that as long as you are willing to stay persistent and dedicate yourself to years of hard work, anything is possible and that is exactly what Kim NG has done for the sports community as a whole.
