SABR 44 Day 2 (Part 2): Women in Baseball

A quick addition to my previous post about Friday’s events at SABR 44:

The last panel of the day focused on women in baseball, which was moderated by SABR Board member and history professor Leslie Heaphy, who is an expert on the topic.  It had been an exciting day for Leslie, because at the luncheon right before the panel she was given the Bob Davids Award.

The panelists covered many topics about women and their various roles in the sport, past and present. They were unanimous that baseball is moving toward appreciating all people for their expertise and skills and away from sexism that got in the way when women first started out in the media.

Among the terrific panelists was Houston’s Marie “Red” Mahoney, who played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League and whose career was highlighted in the movie A League of Their Own. It was interesting to me that the panelists, whose involvement in the sport covers many aspects of baseball, all don’t think that women will ever be able to play professionally.  A number of them felt that since there are only 750 spots in the big leagues, it is very difficult for women to make it, especially considering how many fast and strong men also miss their shot at the bigs. They also spoke about both sides of the argument about whether women should be allowed in major league clubhouses.

After the panel, I caught up with Comcast SportsNet Houston anchor and reporter Leila Rahimi and got her advice for kids — especially girls — who want to pursue a career in sports or who want to work in baseball media:




Max Mannis is a special correspondent for sikids.com and a member of SABR. Catch his posts on advanced baseball statistics. To learn more about SABR and to join, visit www.sabr.org.