Jen Pawol Shatters a Baseball Glass Ceiling

With the Mets in the midst of the Dog Days of summer, there is some good news in baseball that we should all celebrate. Today, August 9th, Jen Pawol made MLB history as the first female umpire to oversee a regular-season game. As a young woman who grew up with an ingrained passion for baseball, this monumental moment in representation is a happy one for younger me, and for women everywhere who love the game.

I grew up just outside of New York City, venturing into Shea Stadium on very special occasions to watch my favorite team in all of baseball. My father, a lifelong Mets fan who witnessed the Miracle Mets win the 1969 World Series, always impressed upon his three daughters the love and loyalty of the sport. We cheered, we got overly passionate, and we ate melting soft-serve out of plastic baseball caps. Baseball was never out of reach for us; in fact, it was the greatest thing we were encouraged to enjoy.

As a young girl, playing sports and engaging in athletics was my favorite source of pride. The competition, camaraderie, and teamwork required to win a game or take home a championship trophy were always inspiring, but also challenging. Of course, there were nuances in the ability to participate. My dad coached my softball team, and when the boys at school called it “a sport for girls,” I hardly understood why it was meant as an insult. Sure, I could never grow up to be a Met. I wasn’t that good at softball anyway, but I could grow up watching the sport I loved and sharing that passion with my family and community.

For Jen Pawol, there was a glass ceiling that needed shattering. With a 10-season career, she worked, hustled, and championed her own qualifications. Umpiring over 1,200 games across all levels, she called the journey a “10-year interview process.” While her merit and standard of play would have warranted entry into the Major Leagues for most men, being a woman was a barrier to entry. Luckily for the women who love baseball, she took the risk and pursued the career anyway.

Without baseball, my summer days and fall evenings would be much duller. Without the thrill of beating the odds, the sadness of defeat, or the acceptance of failure, my world would be much smaller. And without Jen Pawol persisting toward an MLB milestone, there would still be another glass ceiling for women in baseball to break. On behalf of all the daughters, mothers, and women in baseball, good luck to Jen this weekend. We know you’ll make us proud.