Jessica Mendoza, the ESPN baseball analyst, does not have the advantage of being able to start any sentence with, “When I played for the Chicago Cubs.” True, she is an Olympic gold and silver medalist in softball; a trusted insider, according to colleagues, M.L.B. players and staff; and a diligent, inquisitive and passionate commentator.
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Still, Mendoza’s standing brings out the underbelly of sports fans’ taste for sexism. It goes beyond casual disagreements about her opinion or jabs because she picked one team over another, and gets at the core of her existence. These comments, mainly from social media, tell her she has no business even being there
Source: Doug Glanville, The New York Times