Last week, Becky Hammon made history when she became the first woman to serve as an NBA coach during a regular season game, taking over as coach of the San Antonio Spurs against the Lakers after coach Gregg Popovich was sent off. And now we have another historic debut in professional sport, as Bianca Smith will become the first black woman to train in the Major League Baseball.
According Seattle Medium and Boston Globe, Smith will step down from his position as assistant baseball coach and hitting coordinator at Carroll University, Wisconsin, to usher in a new era for black women as coaches in the Boston Red Sox minor league system. She will work with the team’s in-house players at the Red Sox spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida, and was previously an intern with the Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers.
“She was a great candidate coming,” Ben Crockett, vice president of player development at Red Sox, told the Globe. “She has had some really interesting experiences and has been passionate about increasing her skill set and development.”
In addition to his MLB internships and stability at Carroll University, Smith, 29, also played softball at Dartmouth College 2010-12, served as director of baseball operations and graduate assistant at Case Western Reserve (2013-17) and was an assistant technician at the University of Dallas (2018).
“I think it’s huge,” Robert Lewis Jr., founder of the Boston-based organization The base, he told Globo. “I’m not going to lie to you, black girl, I mean, there’s all this symbolism that comes with it. We all know, the Red Sox being the last team to hire an African American. The only great thing I loved was, you know, after looking at her credentials, it’s not just someone who has experience at the college level, she’s going to a competent and qualified area. “
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As Lewis alluded to, Boston’s exhaustive history of racism it’s not exactly breaking news. But when it comes to the Red Sox specifically, Smith’s hiring signals a significant paradigm shift. Especially for a team that has had more than its fair share of racial tensions over the years at Fenway Park. The fans rolled out a “racism is as American as baseball”Sign there for good reason in 2017 and numerous black players detailed their experiences playing in Boston – including former Orioles outside player Adam Jones, who peanut thrown at him.
So, how does Smith feel about joining the Red Sox?
“The opportunity is incredible,” she said on MLB Network’s Hot stove Monday morning. “I’m still wrapping my head around it. I probably won’t let that sink in until I’m really there.
“But I think it is a great opportunity to inspire other women in this game as well. This is not something I thought about when I was younger. I kind of fell for it because I’m an athlete. So, I’m excited to have a chance to show you what I can do. “
Congratulations, Bianca!