It was bound to happen. I’ve written about what was at the time a
totally new thing when the NBA hired its first female coach. Then, football entered the game, so to speak.
It was almost certainly only a matter of time before a third member of
America’s Big 4 sports franchises took a seat at the table. Sure enough, the inevitable transpired when
Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland A’s and Justine Siegal made MLB history yesterday, as the Oakland Athletics announced
she would serve as a guest instructor for their Instructional League club,
making her the first woman to coach in big league history.
On July 29,
2015 I wrote:
“Jennifer Welter was hired as a training camp and
preseason coaching intern for the inside linebackers position for the National
Football League’s Arizona Cardinals. The
signing made her the first female coach in the NFL.”
On July 22,
2015 I wrote:
“Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurts made Ms. Hammon the NBA’s
first full-time Regular Season female Assistant Coach on August 5, 2014. It was
clear at that time she had cultivated a history with the Spurs, and that she
had established a relationship with both Coach Popovich and a number of Spurs’
players. Other women had served in support roles, one as an Assistant during
the Summer League, and another as a Volunteer Assistant during the Regular
Season. Hammon, however, assumed full coaching responsibilities, and traveled
with the team.
On Monday evening, Ms. Hammon led the Spurs to the Championship
of the Vegas Summer League, as the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 93-90. By doing
so, she became the feature attraction in yet another chapter in the annals of
history, after having added one just two weeks ago, when she became the first woman to serve as Head Coach of an NBA Summer League Team. The
Spurs lost their first Summer League game to the NY Knicks, but rallied from
that point, winning the rest of their games, including in the end, persevering
in a hotly contested Title Game.
On August 6,
2014 I wrote:
“But that’s a tale
that will not be told until next spring. Apparently, the Spurs wanted to
make a statement now, and that they did. Yesterday, they announced the
hiring of Rebecca (Becky) Hammon as an Assistant Coach. In doing so, they
made her the first female to become a full-time Regular Season Assistant Coach
in the League. This year, Natalie Nakase, an assistant video coordinator
for the Clippers, was hired to help run the Summer League. Also, during
the 2001-02 Season, when John Lucas coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lisa Boyer
served as a Volunteer Assistant with the Cavs. However, Ms. Boyer did not
travel with the team. In contrast, Hammon will operate in the capacity of
a full-time Assistant, and will travel with the team.
Hammon, a veteran
WNBA player had already announced her retirement, slated for the end of the
WNBA Season. As a member of the San Antonio Stars, she and the Spurs were
already familiar with each other. In fact, she had previously worked with
the Spurs; a key factor in Coach Popovich’s comfort level with her. CNN
reported that Popovich, in speaking of Hammon said:
"I
very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our
staff." Having observed her working with our team this past season,
I'm confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a
great benefit to the Spurs."”
Today it’s Major Leaguer
Baseball’s turn to grab a proverbial 15 minutes of fame for its foray into the
world of female coaching hires. At first
blush, it appears they are doing a fine job, and that they have selected an
excellent candidate. Dr. Siegal, who has
a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology, has completed the Major League
Scouting Bureau School. As a rookie
coach, she will assume a slate of duties that includes an array of
responsibilities, including, hitting infield practice, throwing batting
practice, offering her knowledge in meetings, and, as she says, “helping out
wherever they want me to help out.”
Dr. Siegal went on to say:
"And
I do like talking about life skills—I like to help people achieve their life
goals."
Siegal, became
the first woman to coach men professionally in 2009 when she was the first-base
coach for the independent league Brockton Rox.
She will work with A’s minor-leaguers from Oct. 4 through Oct. 17.
Her hiring
continues an upward trend for women in men's professional sports. The San Antonio Spurs’ hired Becky Hammon as
an assistant coach, and she led the Spurs' summer league team to a championship
this past July. This summer the Sacramento
Kings followed suit by hiring Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman to serve as an
assistant under head coach George Karl.
At the
moment it appears that Siegal's situation is best compared to that of Dr. Jen
Welter, who served as a coaching intern with the Arizona Cardinals during
training camp. Like Welter, Siegal
was not hired for a permanent position but as temporary help during a
time when a team needs all hands on deck.
A’s Assistant
General Manager David Forst put it this way:
"Justine knows that nothing has been promised, but we're not
ruling that out," referring to a full-time position.
For her part,
Dr. Siegal responded:
“I think it
would be incredible to coach full-time.” But for now, I’ll do my best every day to help
out any way I can, from carrying water to throwing BP to using my Ph.D.”
When
questioned about the potential reaction of the A’s minor-league players, Mr.
Forst believes they will be as accepting of Siegal as they would be of any
other coach. He added:
“I’ve
found from experience that men are surprised to have a woman coach, but when
they realize you know what you’re talking about and that you care, you fit
right in with the rest of the staff.”
Siegal has
served as co-chair of SABR’s Women in Baseball
Committee and she directs a program that champions gender equity in
sport for Northeastern
University’s Center for the
Study of Sport in Society. She is the founder of Baseball For All, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to providing instruction and opportunity in
baseball, especially for girls; Baseball For All will hold a national event for
girls aged 7-15 in San Francisco in July.
The A’s are
one of a handful of teams to have employed a woman in a scouting capacity in
the front office; Kate Greenthal was a scouting assistant with the team from
2012 through ’14. Former A’s assistant GM Farhan Zaidi,
now the Dodgers’ GM, is one of the few Muslims in baseball administration, and
Oakland’s director of player personnel, Billy Owens,
is African American.
That leaves
the NHL as the only major professional sports league that has not had a female
coach. The Athletics previously
employed Kate Greenthal in their scouting department from 2012 to 2014,
and this hire shows they're still among the most progressive organizations in
baseball. Even if Siegal's just a guest instructor, this is progress worth
celebrating and, hopefully, a sign of things to come.
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