I've wanted to make this post for a while, but keep putting it off. But I can't really handle it anymore. So bear with me while I share my thoughts :).
Jenny Cavnar has become a punching bag. If you follow any baseball accounts on social media, you'll know that anytime an A's highlight is shown, a bunch of dudes come in and start absolutely tearing Jenny to pieces. It's really brutal. Some accounts post dedicated videos with the sole intent of mocking her, and people (again, always men) gleefully play along. AN is way more civil, but I see some of it around here too.
I don't think she's amazing. I think she needs work. But the sexism that's built into the way she's treated is glaring, gross, and unrelenting. She's literally the first woman to be primary play by play announcer in the history of baseball—and we're damn sure trying to make her be the last. I am also 100% sure that some of the criticism simply stems from us not being used to hearing a woman's voice on air.
My question is this: what does it cost us to give her a little grace? Yes, she makes mistakes. Yes, she judges fly balls poorly. Yes, she can seem stiff and wooden. But guess what? Vince Cottroneo (who I now like, btw) was a human robot for years. Glenn Kuiper literally never learned to judge fly balls of the bat. But those two were given years of patience. Why? Probably because they're men. So why can't we cut her a little slack? She clearly loves this team, loves working with Dallas, and is trying her best. This is a tough job and I feel like she should be given some time, like so many others have before her.
jenny lives and breathes baseball. Married to a former player, named her son after Vin Scully. If we want more women to get involved in baseball (which I certainly do, for my softball-loving daughter and all the other girls out there, for my son who loves the A's and loves her), I feel like this gleeful, no-abandon, constant, unrelenting bashing is going to have the opposite effect. Let's not forget how sexist the baseball world (and sports world in general) is, how much derision and sexism she's faced over her career. Is this how we want to treat her? Is the message we want to send to other women "you need to be perfect right away or we will destroy you with almost sadistic levels of enjoyment?"
There. I said my piece. I want Jenny to succeed, and I want other women involved in baseball at every level. What's happening to her is not helping. Even if you despise her announcing, I have NEVER seen another announcer literally become the punching bag for an entire league. She's a person. She has to deal with all of this. I can't imagine that's easy. I, for one, am going to afford her some grace, time, patience, and support. I don't see what it costs us not to. Listen along on your radio if you don't like her.
