Report: Tuesday's Orioles-Rays Game Will Make History With First All-Woman Broadcast Crew Led By Melanie Newman
(WJZ)- When the Baltimore Orioles take on the Tampa Bay Rays next Tuesday night, they will be part of history. The game will be the first known broadcast featuring a crew of all women.
The New York Times' David Waldstein reported the news on Thursday morning, noting that the five woman crew is believed to be the first time an all-woman crew will handle the entire broadcast for a MLB game.
The broadcast, serving as next week's Game of the Week Live on YouTube, will see Orioles radio play-by-play broadcaster Melanie Newman serving in that same role and being joined by MLB.com's Sarah Langs in the booth. Alanna Rizzo, a contributor to MLB Network's High Heat will handle the on-field reporting duties. And Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner will anchor the pre and post game shows.
"It can't help but feel different," Rizzo told The Times. "I've always had a male play-by-play voice in my ear during every game I've ever done. So, to do a game where those voices are Melanie and Sarah, that will be a unique feeling and a unique perspective of the game. It's exciting to be a part of something like this."
The broadcast is the first for MLB but it continues a trend in sports broadcasting of all-women crews covering games. The NBA had an all-female crew for the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets broadcast on TSN earlier this year. NBC Sports Network did the same for a Chicago Blackhawks versus St. Louis Blues matchup this season. The NFL was the first to have an all-female crew handling the play-by-play and analyst when they introduced the crew of Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer in the 2018 season.