Mary Graham
As Major League Baseball prepares for a historic moment this weekend with Jen Pawol becoming the first woman to umpire a major league game, Falk College of Sport Professor Mary Graham calls it “overdue,” and emphasizes the broader implications for gender equity in professional athletics.
“This is a historic and admirable achievement to be the first woman to officiate a major league baseball game,” Graham says. “It will be particularly momentous when she serves as plate umpire on Sunday. Credit is also due to the women before Jen who aspired to be major league umpires, most notably Pam Postema in the late 1980s, who reached a glass ceiling at the AAA level.”
Graham notes that while Pawol is the first to reach the MLB level, women have long been officiating in lower tiers of professional baseball. She also highlights systemic challenges that have historically limited women’s advancement in male-dominated sports leagues.
“Minor league systems may serve as places for women’s careers to plateau because of sexism in evaluation and promotion processes,” Graham says. “No doubt Jen Pawol endured a good deal of slights and obstacles on her way to the major league.”
Still, Graham sees signs of progress. She points to the MLB Umpire Prospect Development Camp, launched in 2022 and open to all genders, as a hopeful step toward more inclusive opportunities.
“Sometimes gender equity progress is not linear; Jen Pawol may be opening the floodgates of opportunity for women in baseball with her historic assignment this weekend,” Graham says.
For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Mary Graham, please contact Keith Kobland at kkobland@syr.edu.
