By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College
Few sports stories are cracking the national headlines like the Saturday debut of Jen Pawol to be an umpire for the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County against the Miami Marlins. The story of the long winding road for women to make history in baseball will show that Pawol’s experience as the potential to be another great American story of a person succeeding against the odds and old-fashioned traditions, the way Jackie Robinson did back in 1947.
You cannot write this story without covering the case of Pam Postema, a pioneer in her own right. Postema, once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, made history by being the first woman to call an MLB contest. Yes, it was the preseason game in Cooperstown, but that historic game was played between the New York Yankees, and, yes, the Atlanta Braves, back in 1988.
Postema was the third woman to umpire a minor league game, but advanced through the ranks, earning her way all the way to Triple AAA. And this author, as a 10-year-old kid, got to watch her umpire a game back in 1981 in the Texas League, a game between my El Paso Diablos, and the San Antonio Dodgers, or maybe it was the Midland Cubs or Amarillo Gold Sox.
At any rate, umpire Pam Postema was in the middle of the infield. I’d say who the beloved Diablos infielder was who led off with a walk and prepared to steal second is, but there’s a 2% chance I am wrong about this core baseball memory. He ran for second. The catcher threw the ball. It was a bang-bang play. And she emphatically called him out.
Of course, the fans all booed, even though the old Dudley Field didn’t have a scoreboard replay. We wanted him called safe. Up popped our scrappy speedster, jawing at Postema. But she did something unexpected. She got right back in his face, letting him know exactly why he was wrong. We all started to cheer for her toughness. She then threw him out of the game, which led to more shocking cheers. As teammates dragged the hot-headed Diablo to the dugout, he continued to twist back and argue his case. She yelled back, sticking to her guns. We were on our feet, giving her a big standing ovation. Texans love a fighter more than even their home team.
As you read her court case, you’ll realize that beloved managers, including World Series winners, found her to be a great umpire, and knew her stuff. Atlanta Braves Catcher Ozzie Virgil, a fan favorite (and a great player whom I got to chat with once), complimented her calls and ability to handle hostile crowds. But she faced discrimination, spitting, sexist comments, unwanted behavior, expletives, the works. As stated in the brief, a player (I will not say who) “told the press that although Plaintiff was a good umpire, to have her as a major league umpire would be an affront to God and contrary to the teachings of the Bible.”
Hello? Ever heard of Deborah from the Bible? She’s a Judge for God’s people, you know. Ever heard of Sandra Day O’Connor (a Supreme Court Justice, a Reagan appointee several years before that player made those comments), Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Susan Sotomayor, Emily Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson? In fact, 41 percent of judges on the Federal appeals court are women.
Sports history is being made, and Georgia has a strong connection to it. Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia. Hank Aaron hit his historic record-breaking (still standing in my book) home run in Fulton County Stadium for the Braves. In Truist Park, during the All-Star Game, they recreated that amazing moment to wild cheers and rave reviews. This is the perfect place for history to happen again.
If this is the Georgia I have come to love, fans will put aside their disappointment over the tough Braves season, and give Jen Pawol the loudest cheers they possibly can. Her success at overcoming the odds (read John Feinstein’s book “Where Nobody Knows Your Name” to see how hard it is for a MiLB umpire to make it to the big leagues), is the country’s success, proving we can not only accept change, but cheer it on as a party of our national identity, even if we disagree with the call.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.