Dodgers Trying to Appeal to Women

Team launching broadcasts directed at women

Here's a question for all the female baseball fans out there, do you feel like baseball is discouraging your fandom because there aren't many female announcers? The Dodgers seem to think that's the case, based on the press release announcing DodgersWIN broadcasts of Wednesday games for the rest of the season.

WIN stands for the Womens' Initiatives Network, which the Dodgers created to bring women closer to the game and bring the game closer to their lifestyles. In the case of these broadcasts, that means having Jeanne Zelasko calling games alongside former major league player Mark Sweeney. Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt, wife of owner Frank McCourt and progenitor of the WIN idea, explained why Zelasko will make such a difference. 

"Her track record and knowledge of the game speaks for itself, and as a mother, she'll be able to bring a unique perspective to our WIN broadcasts and help spread her love of baseball to fans around the world."

What perspective does a mother bring to the game, exactly? "James Loney may only be slugging .322, but he's batting 1.000 when it comes to getting his chores done before dinner!" 

Gerard Cosloy of Can't Stop the Bleeding thinks the idea is actually offensive to women, which is hard to disagree with. When Zelasko was part of FOX's broadcasts, she didn't seem to speak some kind of language that made her stand out all that much from the crowd of baseball announcers. She certainly doesn't seem like a better choice to introduce women (or children or dogs or Martians or anyone) to baseball than the Dodgers' own Vin Scully.

Of all teams the Dodgers seem to need this kind of outreach the least. After all, their best player is out for the next two months because he was taking women's fertility drugs, something that has to warm the hearts of a few female baseball fans out there.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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