This Monday is a big day in history for Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox. The Sox face the Blue Jays in a doubleheader with Emma Tiedemann and Rylee Pay, the first female duo slated to broadcast at Fenway Park in history. These two have been broadcasting for the Red Sox Double-A Team, the Portland Sea Dogs, and now on August 26, they are scheduled to be a part of Women’s Day at Fenway in a big way. Let’s better understand what this means and how women have impacted Fenway Park in big ways. Bigger than you may think.
Fenway First: Women Duo Slated To Call Game
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Monday is officially stamped as “Women’s Celebration” at Fenway with special VIP guests “barrier-breaking” female speakers that are making an impact within the community, giveaways, and of course, Tiedemann and Pay being the first women to pair up to call a game in Fenway history.
With Dave O’Brien and Kevin Youkilis by their side, these women will be a part of history in the making and fulfilling a lifelong dream: Calling a major league game. It just happens to also be in historic Fenway Park which makes things even more memorable. Pay and Tiedemann have openly credited the trailblazers in female broadcasting like Jenny Cavnar, the first woman to do the majority play-by-play for the A’s in history along with Suzyn Waldman the Yankees announcer, along with Melanie Newman who broadcasts for the Orioles.
Gearing Up For History
It is like Pay and Tiedemann have been called up to the majors and what an exciting moment for them. Tiedemann’s grandfather, Bill Mercer, a regular announcer for the White Sox and Rangers took her under his wing at a young age, sharing stories and facilitating strong bonds between sports and her voice. She has never looked back since, and Monday will be an extraordinary moment for both Pay and Tiedemann at Fenway.
The duo will have support from O’Brien and Youkilis in a four-person booth for the entirety of the game. For three innings in the middle of the game on Monday night, these women will break through the ceiling and take over broadcasting in full as a pair. Pay and Tiedemann will make history and show young women around the globe to see that anything is possible with enough grit and determination.
Two Women That Have Impacted Red Sox History
Previous to Pay and Tiedemann, there was someone possibly more groundbreaking that usually gets overlooked in the history of Fenway Park. Leslie Sterling, a name most people don’t recognize, was the Fenway Park PA announcer from 1994-1996. Most women who remember Sterling don’t feel like she received ample admission or appreciation for being the first African American and first female in history to announce for the Red Sox.
If you aren’t familiar with Sterling’s story at the time she was a Harvard graduate, singer, and voice coach who ended up taking a broadcasting class from legendary play-by-play Joe Castiglione who recommended her for the job. In an industry full of majority white men at the time, Sterling was the first black woman to break the ceiling for Fenway, African-Americans, and women alike. Her story deserves more recognition and after roughly three seasons she left Fenway Park to attend divinity school and currently is a preacher and presider at All Saints Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Red Sox Traditions
If you have been to a Red Sox game, in the last decade at Fenway you’ve heard Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline” being belted out in the stands, on the streets, and in the homes of every fan of Boston before the bottom of the eighth inning starts. Most fans sing it as if it is their last moment on earth, the last song they will ever sing, screaming until their faces are purple, laughing at each other, and lifting the spirits for anyone in earshot to hear. It is certainly a newer tradition in the oldest professional ballpark in the country yet a crowd favorite. But did you know it all started because of a woman?
Yes, that’s right, we can thank Amy Tobey for this Fenway tradition that stuck. Tobey who was in charge of the music at the ballpark one night in 1997 played “Sweet Caroline” after a friend of Tobey’s had recently given birth to their own sweet Caroline. The song was played periodically but only when the team was ahead until 2002. When Fenway and the Red Sox organization made it official and played it nightly between the eighth-inning stretch, the song was uplifting, fans were extremely responsive. From that point on in Fenway, thanks to Amy Tobey, good times never seemed so good, so good.
Women Continue To Make History At Fenway Park
This Monday at Fenway Park the dynamic duo from the Sea Dogs will be pulled up to the majors to be the first two women to broadcast a game. Along with Danny Jansen’s historic playing for both teams in the first game, Monday is set out to be marked in history.
The history of women in Fenway Park may be sparse but has been memorable in its own ways. This event continues to carve out a path for the future of partnerships with females and the Red Sox. In the traditional, old-school setting of New England, men being the primary focus of professional sports, we mustn’t forget the importance of how Leslie Sterling and Amy Tobey blazing the trail for Rylee Pay and Emaa Tiedemann. Everyone will be listening to this Monday night game in Boston to be a part of the continued rich history of Fenway Park.
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