Female Managers

One of the things I enjoy about teaching public speaking is hearing the topics my students come up with. Sometimes it is amusing what they try to get away with. Sometimes it is amazing how they pick a topic that seemingly in not challenging and can prove how and why, in reality, it is a challenging topic. Sometimes it is just interesting to hear the unique topics that are picked.

A couple of semesters ago, I heard one of my students who was majoring in athletics, state she wanted to be the first female manager of a major league team. She recognized the difficulties of females actually playing in the major leagues, along side of men. She, however, argued that there was no reason that a female could not manage.

Reading a number of blogs out there, I am inclined to agree. There are many women who are knowledgeable about baseball. While it is true that most managers, and I stress the word "MOST", have played major league baseball, there are the exceptions.

It is, of course, important to start changing the attitudes of players and fans, and that of course, is not easy. When New York Mets’ announcer Keith Hernandez stated last year, upon seeing a female masseuse in the dugout of an opponent of the Mets, commented that women do not belong in the dugout, it showed we still had a long way to go. On the other hand, the fact that there was a female in the dugout of one of the teams, as part of their training staff, it shows that we have become more accepting of things we once would have called "impossible".

My guess is that at some point, we will see a female manger of a major league baseball team. Seeing the drive and determination of the individual who gave this speech, she just might be the one.