If you watch baseball on ESPN, you’ve probably seen (and heard) Jessica Mendoza.
Let's do this!!! First time in a MLB booth! Tune in 7pm pt ESPN2 #MLB #Dbacks #Cardinals
A photo posted by jessica mendoza (@jessmendoza2) on
Credit: @jessmendoza2 / Instagram
Earlier this year, she made history as the first in-game female analyst on ESPN.
Let's do this! @espn #SundayNightBaseball @Dodgers @Cubs @DShulman_espn
A photo posted by jessica mendoza (@jessmendoza2) on
Credit: @jessmendoza2 / Instagram
She did such a kick-ass job that ESPN asked her back.
Mendoza made history again this week when she became the first female analyst to work an MLB playoff game.
A photo posted by jessica mendoza (@jessmendoza2) on
Credit: @jessmendoza2 / Instagram
And like clockwork, the sexist comments started surfacing on Twitter.
Certain places men and women don't belong! Don't believe when a woman is talking baseball to me #ESPN booth! Killed it for me! Sorry!
— Rick Mendoza (@rmendoza61) October 7, 2015
Credit: @rmendoza61 / Twitter
This "woman" announcer is ruining this baseball game.
— @TitansHomer (@TitansHomer) October 7, 2015
Credit: @TitansHomer / Twitter
A woman announcer in baseball @espn really? Like seriously, really?
— Micah Clements (@Mclem25) October 7, 2015
Credit: @Mclem25 / Twitter
Several people fired back at the haters, like Chicago Cubs play-by-play announcer Len Kasper:
https://twitter.com/LenKasper/status/651841542924201984
Credit: @LenKasper / Twitter
And Rachael, who had a solid point:
Most guys tweeting about the woman announcer for the Yankees game are just pissed she probably knows baseball better than they do
— Rachael B (@justBERTnoernie) October 7, 2015
Credit: @justBERTnoernie / Twitter
This guy poked holes at a criticism that was repeated over and over: Mendoza never played pro baseball.
Jessica Mendoza: not a former MLB player, good commentator
A LOT OF COMMENTATORS: former MLB player, bad commentator… like really bad
— Cody (@TeamATL10) October 7, 2015
Credit: @TeamATL10 / Twitter
Sure, Mendoza never played in the MLB, but she’s a USA softball LEGEND.
Credit: Al Bello / Getty
You see those two shiny things hanging on her neck?
Credit: Michael Buckner / Getty
One’s a gold medal from the 2004 Olympic Games. The other is a silver medal from the 2008 Olympics.
Of course, there are people out there who will say she’s “just a softball player.”
Credit: @BoiledSports / Twitter
Mendoza says she’s loved and studied baseball since she was a child.
Credit: Matthew Stockman / Getty
“My dad was a baseball coach, and then I switched to softball. Baseball was all I knew until I crossed over. It never seemed like a big deal,” said Mendoza to the New York Times.
And the Mexican-American announcer is fully aware of the impact she’s making, not just for women, but for Latinas.
Credit: Elsa / Getty
During her days as a softball star, Mendoza told ESPN: “I find that there are still a lot of traditional cultural roles for females — a lot of pressure for young girls to be around the family, help with siblings, help with meals, be kind of the rock of the household rather than doing extracurricular activities like sports. But it’s definitely changing, and I’m an example of that.”
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