One day after Candace Parker became the first female cover athlete in the history of the NBA 2K franchise, another first in the history of women in sports was announced.
As David Waldstein of the New York Times noted, Melanie Newman, the Orioles' radio play-by-play announcer, will be joined by four other women as an MLB broadcast will be called entirely by women for the first time in history. Sarah Langs, whose awesome statistical finds on Twitter have probably provided you with endless trivia questions for your sports-loving friends, will act as the analyst alongside Newman.
Alanna Rizzo will handle the on-field reporting, and she realizes just how important it is for a broadcast team like this to take the stage.
“It can’t help but feel different,” Rizzo told the New York Times. “I’ve always had a male play-by-play voice in my ear during every game I’ve ever done. So, to do a game where those voices are Melanie and Sarah, that will be a unique feeling and a unique perspective of the game. It’s exciting to be a part of something like this.
"It shows that the world is changing and it's more accepting of different voices and different looks and perspectives of the game. It's not an all-male game anymore, and we don't live in an all-male world."
In fact, it hasn't been an all-male game for quite some time, as you can see in a new documentary series about Effa Manley. According to Nellie Andreeva of Deadline, the only female Baseball Hall of Famer and "Queen of the Negro Leagues" will be the focus of a limited series titled "The Eagles of Newark," with Anya Adams on board to direct the pilot.
Last year, MLB also saw the hiring of its first full-time female coach, Alyssa Nakken, in another move that was important progress for our national pastime.
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Joining Newman, Langs and Rizzo are Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner, who have pre- and postgame show duties.
Newman showed her pride and excitement toward being at the helm of the broadcasting team for the Orioles-Rays game next week.
Meanwhile, Audacy affiliate WFAN's own Suzyn Waldman will be busy with her regular duties covering the Yankees, but she made sure to give her two cents on the occasion.
"I am looking forward to when this is no longer a novelty event," Waldman said. "It’s a big deal and I’m happy it is happening, but I can’t wait for when it’s just normal. You would have thought that would have happened by now."
The game will be on Tuesday, July 20, and will be available on YouTube as MLB's Game of the Week Live.
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