MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he is proud of Ng for her accomplishmentGETTY IMAGES
The Marlins' hiring of Kim Ng as GM on Friday "provided a genuinely wonderful moment, and a chance to get the sports world's attention for the right reasons," according to Stephanie Apstein of SI.com. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred a few minutes after the news broke said, "It really is a historic thing for our sport. For that side of the business, to have a woman in the GM’s job, it really is an amazing accomplishment for her." As of that time, Manfred had not yet reached out to Ng, who worked in the league office. He said that he "wanted to wait for the news to become official." But he said he would "make sure to tell her that 'I’m really proud of her.'" Manfred: "It is heartening for people who work in the game a long time. Stay at it. Your opportunity comes" (SI.com, 11/13).
DESERVING IN EVERY WAY: In N.Y., Kepner & Wagner wrote Ng has "long been viewed as the person who would break one of baseball’s most stubborn barriers." To many in baseball, the move was "considered long overdue and comes at a time when several other women are moving up the ranks of the sport after years of resistance." But the significance of Ng’s hiring "extends beyond baseball" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/14). On Long Island, Barbara Barker wrote it is "hard to overstate the significance of the Marlins’ hire." Ng is a "role model of persistence for young girls and women who dream of having a career in sports management" (NEWSDAY, 11/14). In L.A., Dylan Hernandez wrote Ng's appointment "marked the rare instance in which a decent person caught a break in baseball’s shark-infested waters" (L.A. TIMES, 11/14). In DC, Dave Sheinin wrote the move was both "long overdue" and the "natural pinnacle of the recent trend of women making significant inroads in a sport that was once closed off, if not downright hostile, to them" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/14).
WATERSHED MOMENT: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde wrote Ng's hiring is a "game-changer, if not necessarily for the Marlins specifically, then for sports in general." It "shows women are now welcome into what’s forever been an all-boys club" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 11/14). In Montreal, Jack Todd writes the Marlins hiring Ng is the "best thing that has happened to Major League Baseball since the Red Sox shook the curse." Todd: "The time is now and Ng is the woman" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 11/16). Red Sox Exec VP & Assistant GM Raquel Ferreira said, "It's a great day, not just for MLB, but sports in general" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/14).
ABOUT TIME: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour wrote it is "important to point out how woefully long overdue this is," because Ng has been "considered one of the brightest minds in baseball for decades now." Still, it is "important to celebrate how transformative a moment this is -- and not simply for Ng." Just as the ranks of women coaching in the NBA has "swelled in the six years since Becky Hammon was hired" by the Spurs, "so, too, are other women likely to quickly join Ng as the top executive of a team." Ng "showing what’s possible will have a lasting, and far-reaching, impact" (USA TODAY, 11/13). In S.F., Bruce Jenkins noted a "full 30 years have passed" since Ng broke into MLB as an intern with the White Sox. The fact that she "held firm is a tribute not only to her character, but her love of the game." It is that "deep-down passion that has people cheering this hire." Jenkins: "Here’s a toast to Marlins CEO Derek Jeter. ... It’s a great day for baseball, for equality, and just plain common sense" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/16).
LONG, TOUGH ROAD: In Seattle, Larry Stone noted few people have interviewed for GM jobs and "finished as a runner-up more times than Ng." And for years, when it "came to crunchtime, no team president or CEO had the guts to bring a woman into this men’s club, even though Ng’s credentials were impeccable' (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/14). In N.Y., Mike Lupica: "What we have seen so far with Jeter is that he is unafraid of change, of any kind" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/15). ESPN.com's Sarah Spain noted it "has been 15 years since Ng first interviewed for a GM position" in MLB -- an opening with the Dodgers (ESPN.com, 11/13). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Diamond & Bachman wrote with Ng now in place, it "increases the likelihood that others follow in her footsteps, as more women assume positions in baseball that for more than a century have been held exclusively by men" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/14). THE ATHLETIC's Lindsey Adler wrote all women in baseball want is "To be seen for Doing The Work." Adler: "We know we have to work harder. Mostly, that’s OK. Kim Ng has done the work. Long after she became deserving of an opportunity to lead a major-league organization, the work has paid off" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/13). In Toronto, Laura Armstrong wrote Ng’s hiring "will be touted as progressive, and it is." But "more than anything, Ng’s hiring is purely based on merit" (TORONTO STAR, 11/14).
FANS EMBRACING NEWS: YAHOO SPORTS' Shalise Manza Young wrote fan reaction so far has been positive, an "encouraging sign for those of us who have become accustomed to every headline about a woman blazing new trails in men’s American sports leading to trolls grousing about how having women in any roles is just an abomination" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/13).
