Breaking Barriers
Recently, longtime MLB executive Kim Ng was hired as the general manager of the Miami Marlins signaling a shattering of the proverbial glass ceiling for women in sports.
Ng will now serve as the acting general manager of the Marlins under the leadership of CEO Derek Jeter, whom she worked with from 1998 to 2001 as an assistant G.M. of the New York Yankees. For Jeter and other colleagues of Ng, there was no doubt she was the right person for the job.
“The Marlins did not hire her as a woman,” said Dan Evans, former MLB executive. “They hired her because she’s the most qualified person for the job.”
Ng’s position is the highest ever held in a major American sport by a woman.
“When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals,” said Ng. “My goal now is to bring championship baseball to Miami. I am both humbled and eager to continue building the winning culture our fans expect and deserve.”
The baseball world celebrates the hiring, both as an important event for Ng herself and for sports in their entirety.
“It changes the conversation from, ‘Oh, it’s never been done,’ to ‘Oh, well, Kim’s doing it so you can do it,’” said Rachel Balkovec, a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees. “It changes the conversation and the idea that people have about what a G.M. looks like.”
