Comments by General Managers, Presidents & CEO's

There have been many changes in the country and in baseball over the past 10-30 years.
The acceptance of women in the male dominated world of baseball is just one.

Below are comments by men in baseball's high places.

David Dombrowski, President, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Tigers.

"For generations, women have played baseball, attended Major League games and contributed to our great game. When you look back at the past thirty years, men have predominately run the
business of Major League Baseball. When I began my career in the 1980's, there were very few women involved in baseball operations, outside of an administrative role. However, with the
growth of the game, Major League Baseball and its member Clubs, have had the foresight to tap into a wider spectrum of talented individuals. Women continue to make significant contributions and are an integral part of the game.

Todd Rahr, President, General Manager Boise Hawks, Boise, Idaho

Women have been accepted into the baseball world in a much more positive way in the last 10-30 years. Since my first year in baseball in 1992, you can see the amount of women at the Winter Meetings has increased immensely. They have been asked to take on roles that were
predominately men's in the past such as General Managers and Assistant GM's...With more
women looking and participating in sports, this is going to mean more women finding their way into the system.

It has been a "good 'ol boy" system for years and with many of the old guard moving on and the younger generation coming into top roles on teams, the barrier for entry for women seems to be
disappearing. I want the best person I can get for every role on my team.

In Boise, our Assistant GM, our Marketing Manager and Creative Services Manager are all
females. At the Baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis in '09, we interviewed about 60 people
with about half being female. We may be a baseball team but our approach is no different than
any other business...We are a company looking to make a profit. We focus on entertainment, not the game of baseball. We sell the best product on the planet and the sport is a huge part of it. But a good business mind and excellent leadership ability is more important than knowing who hit
360 in 1985. The qualities that make up a good business person crosses all gender lines...it doesn't matter if the person is male or female.

Dave Fendrick, VP & GM Round Rock Express, Round Rock, Texas

This is my 34th season in baseball. I'm of the opinion that baseball is like any other business in society. Women have progressed like women in other businesses have. There is now no glass ceiling for women in baseball. I believe a time will come when a
woman will become a GM. Kim Ng of the Los Angeles Dodgers comes to mind. There is no
reason whey they can't.

Eric Edelstein, GM-Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Springdale, ARK

Regarding women in sports, I come from a unique vantage point, as Mindy Rich has been the President of Rich Entertainment Group since 1985. Rich Entertainment is a sub-group of businesses all wholly owned by Rich Products Corporation of Buffalo, NY. Further, my first direct report in sports was Marta Hiczewski, who also spent 20 years in the sports industry before I was hired. Our organization (which owns Buffalo Bisons, Jamestown Jammers, and Northwest Arkansas Naturals) has always been fairly even in gender representation. This obviously is not the norm in sports, but has been the work environment I’ve been used to and believe is best for a balanced organization.

Having worked in Minor League Baseball for 10 years, there is no doubt that women have a greater representation. Its long overdue, and demonstrates a maturing of our industry. It seems obvious that an office of varying backgrounds brings diverse perspectives which give it the flexibility and background to make quality decisions every day. As Minor League Baseball emerges into the mainstream, gender equity is just one of the areas where growth is happening. The family atmosphere of minor league baseball, and the continued focus on the family, also lends itself to needing many perspectives to reach your target audience.


Dave Rosenfield, GM-Norfolk Tides, Norfolk, VA

I have been in baseball fifty-six years. This year will be my fifty-sixth opening day I have seen and my forty-ninth year with the Tides. It has been a great move for baseball; women coming into baseball. They are influential in our thinking of what is appealing to people, to families and children.

In my early days merchandise was an after thought. Today, merchandise is an integral part of revenue production and the ability of women to know what women and children like is instrumental in guiding our product selection. Years ago, we sold shirts in one color. Today, we are selling shirts in five different colors, tote bags and purses for women, pajamas for children. Product selection is very much influenced by women.

Here on the Tides, we have a staff of sixteen, half are women. My Community Relations Director, Ticket Director, Groups Sales and Merchandise Director are woman. They make a good appearance and they are most helpful in promoting the family atmosphere that we encourage.

If we put aside our male egos, and listen to the women, we’re better off.