America's first female to sign Pro Baseball contract

Tiffany Brooks - Cover, Women Sport Report, April 20, 2010


Tiffany Brooks of Spokane, Wash is the first American woman this century and the 2nd since 1952 to sign a professional baseball contract. She will be reporting for Spring Training with the Big Bend Cowboys in Alpine, Texas. They are in an Independent League. Yes, she will be playing baseball "with the boys."

I am honored she choose me for a two part interview to run in Woman Sport Report, the
largest online women's sports magazine devoted to women active in sports or in a sports related business. Check out the magazine, it is gorgeous, first class.

NORM


How does it feel to be the first woman to sign a contract to play American professional baseball in the 21st century?

TIFFANY

Well, as you can imagine, it's an amazing experience, and I can't thank my GM, Mr. Smith, and the rest of the Big Bend Cowboys organization enough for believing in me as a ballplayer and giving me a chance. To be the “first” to do anything is always a huge honor, and that's really exciting at a personal level, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that I'm walking in some pretty large footsteps of those women who have come before me in Pro Baseball. I've been dreaming of this and working hard for this opportunity really since I was about four years old. I stress the word “opportunity” because, keep in mind, I've not yet made the team. Just like anyone else, I have to go through Spring Training, prove myself, and win a spot on the roster.

Female owners of baseball teams/

It is rare for a woman to own a baseball team. The exception is Ms. Susan Savage.

Susan, a native of Amarillo Texas, is entering her first season as the sole majority owner of the Sacramento River Cats. Susan and her late husband, Art Savage, purchased the Triple-A franchise and moved the team from Vancouver to the River City in 2000. For the past ten years, they co-owned the River Cats, bringing baseball back to Sacramento after a 25-year absence. Art passed away on November 21, 2009.

A graduate of UCLA, Susan is passionate about the arts and has integrated student art into the ballpark through the Pillars of Art tile program and the annual calendar featuring original art from area schools. Her vision, as was Art’s, is to offer the best fan experience possible and to make customer service the top priority. Susan and the River Cats family strive, on a daily basis, to make Raley Field the No. 1 venue for entertainment in the Sacramento area.

Susan’s two sons, Jeff and Brent, are both River Cats employees.

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.

Purpose of Blog & Interviews

This blog is devoted to and is about WOMEN IN BASEBALL'S FRONT OFFICES. I am a storyteller. I believe many women (and some men) will want to read about a subject rarely spoken of or written about.

I have been interviewing women around the country for months. My interviews can be seen on

WOMENSPORTREPORT.COM

The interviews will be collected into a book called: FEMALE WISDOM IN BASEBALL

The book is dedicated to the women who found something they loved enough to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that were placed in front of them. Women who had the kind of feeling for what they wanted to do, and made their dream come true.

The purpose of this book is to enlighten the public on who they are, what they do and how they overcame the obstacles to achieve their dream. This is an inspirational book for both women and men who labor under the false belief they cannot achieve their dreams. This book will say - YES YOU CAN!

The interviews are meant to entertain and enlighten young ladies in middle school, high school and colleges that baseball offers an opportunity for them too. By sharing their stories, women will have an opportunity to change lives in ways that neither I nor they can realize.

I also interview women who are active in sports. Women like Tiffany Brooks of Spokane, Wash who just became the first woman this century and the 2nd since 1952 to sign a pro contract with a professional team. Yes, she will be playing with the boys. Watch for her story here in the near future.

Your comments are welcome

Introduction

This blog is about women active in sports or in sports related business, such as baseball.

I am currently interviewing women in baseball. Interviews can be read by going to
www.womensportreport.com

I am interviewing Tiffany Brooks, America's first woman to sign a pro contract this century
with a pro team in Texas. Watch for this here.

Your comments are welcome. Norm