The Seattle Mariners are helping shine a spotlight on the important role women play in sports with a virtual panel discussion featuring an accomplished group of women discussing their paths in sports, the challenges they have faced, the gains that have been made and how far we still have to go.

The panel will debut on the Mariners YouTube channel on Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00am PDT. This announcement and the panel coincide with the anniversary of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that requires schools that receive money from the federal government to give female students opportunities equal to those of male students, including in sports. The result has been increased involvement of girls and women in sports at all levels. All of the members of the panel cite their participation in sports as a key factor in their success in pursuing sports as a career.

Women In Sports Panelists

Amanda Lee, Seattle Mariners Minor League Athletic Trainer;

Jessamyn McIntyre, 710 ESPN Producer, Major League Rugby sideline reporter;

Angie Mentink, ROOT SPORTS reporter and anchor, panel moderator;

Kim Ng, Major League Baseball Sr. Vice President, Baseball Operations;

Ingrid Russell-Narcisse, Seattle Mariners Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships;

Heather Tarr, Head Coach for the University of Washington Softball team and the U.S. U-19 National Team.

Highlights from the Panel Discussion

Their jobs in sports are varied from executive to broadcasting to on-field. They took different routes to get where they are, but all agreed that the most important thing for a woman trying to enter a male dominated field is to be on top of your game every single day.

“You have to be thoroughly prepared,” said Ng, who is the highest-ranking female executive in Major League Baseball. “We’re still at a point where we’re going to have to out-shine the guys to get noticed, to get promoted. You have to have a voice. At many points in your career, you’re going to have to stand up for yourself, make a case for yourself, or a case for whatever it is you are trying to get across, and lastly, you need thick skin,” said Ng.

Lee, who’s the only female member of the Mariners athletic training staff, worked with the Everett Aquasox last season, the Mariners Short Season A affiliate. While she says she thankful the organization and players treated her with respect, there are challenges with being the only woman.

“Between innings, if I need to run up to the restroom real quick, there’s nowhere to go. Where am I supposed to go? I have to go wait on the concourse with everybody else that’s trying to go to the restroom in the middle of the game, but I have to be back out there before that next inning starts. I face it every day. Getting into it, the first couple of weeks, were difficult. I just had to figure out a way to do it,” said Lee.

McIntyre, who started her career at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, recalled the subtle and overt sexism she endured as a young woman who hadn’t yet found her voice. On her first day at ESPN, as a 22-year old fresh out of college, a prominent NFL analyst came into the control room where she was working with her three bosses, got down on one knee, and said “You look great, you smell great, why don’t you just marry me?”

“And everybody laughed. How am I supposed to react in that situation when my bosses are finding this hilarious?”

McIntyre, who says she was more embarrassed than offended, hadn’t developed a defense mechanism yet. She also knew she needed to maintain good relations with prominent men at the network if she was going to get ahead in her career, so she let a lot of things slide, including sext messages from male coworkers.

Russell-Narcisse, who is one of the few women of color working in an MLB front office, says the lack of role models continues to be a hurdle.

“It would help if we had more women in leadership positions at Major League Baseball and other areas. There’s something to be said about seeing yourself in someone else’s shoes that’s ahead of you. So, opening up that pipeline to the executive level, getting more women in there, encouraging each other and bringing others along would also help,” said Russell-Narcisse.

The panel also includes an interview with 13-year old Cora Morgan of Shoreline, who is the only girl on her baseball team. At her young age, she’s passionate about gender equity in sports.

“I hope that some people can learn to be a lot more open-minded. Baseball is a fun game. Everyone should be able to and allowed to play. Because baseball shouldn’t be America’s pastime if it isn’t for everyone,” said Morgan.