Bianca Smith becomes 1st Black woman coach in MLB history
'I think it's a great opportunity also to just kind of inspire other women who are interested in this game,' Smith said.
Bianca Smith made history when the Boston Red Sox announced her new official position with the Major League Baseball organization.
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Smith is now the first Black woman to serve as a coach in the MLB’s over 150-year long history. The Boston team shared the news on social media, welcoming her with a congratulatory message.
“Bianca Smith will be joining the #RedSox organization this season, making her the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball history,” the tweet stated.
“She was a great candidate coming in,” said Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett in an interview according to CNN. “She’s had some really interesting experiences and has been passionate about growing her skill set and development herself.”
According to her bio published on the Carroll University Athletics website, Smith earned a Masters of Business Administration in sports management with an emphasis in organizational behavior from Weatherhead School of Management. She also earned a Doctorate of Jurisprudence with an emphasis in sports law from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in May of 2017. Her educational experience includes research projects on NCAA anti-trust laws, diversity in baseball, and Major League Baseball salary cap.
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Before her landmark role, Smith served as the assistant coach/ hitting coordinator at Carroll University. She also worked as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Administration at the same institution.
During an interview on MLB Network shared by the Red Sox on Twitter, Smith shared excitement to begin her new positon.
“I think it’s a great opportunity also to just kind of inspire other women who are interested in this game,” she remarked. “This is not something I thought about when I was younger and I kind of fell into it being an athlete, so I’m excited to get that chance to show what I can do.”
During an interview with ESPN, the 29-year-old shared that she believes there are not many women who pursue careers baseball because of a lack of representation.
“A lot of kids get their idea of what they want to do based on who they see doing it. I’m hoping that, besides focusing on my job and developing players as much as I can, if the result of this position is that more women, more people, in general, are inspired to consider this as a position or at least try to get into the game, that would be great. That’s the first step, letting them have the idea that this is a potential career path,” Smith said to the sports outlet.
She continued to express her desire to keep elevating.
“I don’t want to limit myself and I want to go as I can,” Smith said according to ESPN. “I want to continue to challenge myself and right now, that [goal] is MLB manager. I don’t see that changing anytime soon… As much as I love coaching, I want to be in that position. I want to learn as much as I can to be in that role.”
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