History was made today, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, as the Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng, the first female general manager of any professional sport in the northern hemisphere. Ng, also being an Asian American, continues to add to the historical effect.
The Marlins say:
Ng is now the highest-ranking woman in MLB team operations and is believed to be the first woman hired as a GM to lead a professional men’s sports team in any North American major league.
Ng’s Resume
Ng was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Nov. 17, 1968. Her father, Jin Ng, is a financial analyst and her mother, Virginia Fong, is a banker.
As she has been a fixture in the front and league offices for years, Ng is overly qualified to be the Marlins’ new GM.
After graduating from the University of Chicago, Ng began her professional baseball career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox. In 1991, the White Sox hired her full-time as a special projects analyst. She was later promoted to Assistant Director of Baseball Operations for the Sox in 1995.
Derek Jeter, the Marlins’ CEO, was the man that pulled the trigger on Ng’s hiring and will get a lot of praise for making this historic hire. But the credit must go to Ng for building a solid resume in baseball, earning the respect of everyone in the game.
Rankings
Forbes in 2015 ranked Ng No. 13 as the most influential minorities in sports. On the list of the most powerful women in sports, Ng ranked No. 5. Adweek, in 2017, named Ng one of the most powerful women in sports.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
CNN: Miami Marlins hire Kim Ng as general manager. She’s the first woman and first Asian American GM in MLB history; by David Close and Allen Kim
Yahoo! Sports: New Marlins GM Kim Ng is a deeply qualified beacon of progress for women in sports; by Shalise Manza Young
Sporting News: Who is Kim Ng? Marlins’ new GM becomes first woman in MLB history to hold the role; by Ryan Fagan
Feature and Top Image Courtesy of Dustin Bergene’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Keith Allison Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License