In a historic breakthrough for women in sports, Kim Ng (above) was recently named the general manager of the Miami Marlins. She is the first woman—and only the second person of Asian descent—in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB) to hold a team’s top leadership position.
Ng’s role also makes her the first female full-time general manager in any of the country’s four major pro sports leagues: MLB, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association.
“When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a major league team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals,” Ng said in a statement. Over the past three decades, she has held high-ranking jobs on several teams, including the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Teams she has helped run have often made it to the playoffs. During her time with the Yankees, for example, the team won three World Series championships.
Jobs in professional baseball have long been dominated by men, but that’s beginning to change. Last year, 21 women held team coaching and player development positions—up from just three in 2017. However, men still hold most high-ranking management jobs on MLB teams.
In her new position, Ng has said, she wants to help show young women what’s possible. “There is an adage: ‘You can’t be it if you can’t see it,’ ” Ng said. “Now you can see it.”