Minasian: Celebrating Women in Baseball Night at Safeco Field

From SABR member Isabelle Minasian at The Hardball Times on August 17, 2017, with mention of SABR member Meg Rowley:

More than 200 people gathered on Tuesday night at “The ‘Pen” beyond the center field fence of Safeco Field. It wasn’t for a game, though the Mariners did fans a courtesy and snapped their five-game losing streak that night; instead, they were there for the first-ever Celebrating Women in Baseball Night.

Teams have been hosting “Girls Nights Out” for years, ever since a marketing executive realized that they were missing out on an opportunity to extort money from half of the population. These events typically consisted of a set price, which included a ticket, a drink voucher of some sort, and often a garishly colored accessory. There are hundreds of ways to be a fan, each as valid as the last, but for many women those “Girls Night Out” events felt patronizing and pedantic; as though their fandom was more flippant, and less serious.

The Mariners’ Women in Baseball Night was meant to build off these other events which, “are aimed at attracting fans to the ballpark who might not otherwise buy a ticket … we wanted to do something geared toward female fans who would be interested in hearing from women working in baseball on their perspectives on the game,” said Meg Rowley, who helped organize and moderate the event.

Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/celebrating-women-in-baseball-night-at-safeco-field/



Originally published: August 17, 2017. Last Updated: August 17, 2017.