Editorial | Kim Ng more than a win for US baseball
- New general manager of Miami Marlins is first Chinese-American and woman to take up such an MLB post and comes at a time when an easing in tensions between Washington and Beijing would be welcome
For sport fans in North America, it’s equivalent to the United States getting its first female president. As the new general manager of the Miami Marlins, reporters are running out of “firsts” to describe Kim Ng’s trailblazing appointment: the first Asian-American, the first Chinese-American and the first woman to take up such a post in Major League Baseball (MLB).
At a time of high tensions between China and the US, even some mainland fans of the sport have greeted the news with enthusiasm and celebration.
In fact, for a woman, the hire is unprecedented in any of the four major league sports in the US. As Chinese sports authorities try to restart professional baseball as a major competition, Ng can also be an inspiration in China.
To be sure, it’s the kind of news that breaks out of the narrow confines of the sports pages. NBA champion Jeremy Lin, the first Chinese-American to win the NBA championship last year with the Toronto Raptors, expressed admiration for his fellow Chinese-American. Former first lady Michelle Obama paid tribute.
It would be hard to find someone more qualified. At 51, Ng has devoted more than half of her life to the sport, having worked in senior positions for the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since 2011, she has been senior vice-president of baseball operations in the MLB commissioner’s office.