A few weeks before the beginning of Women’s History Month, the San Francisco Giants announced that they would be naming Alyssa Nakken as their assistant coach. This hiring was the first of its kind, as Nakken is now the first ever full time coach in Major League Baseball history. 

Nakken has been around sports for most of her life, but she specifically stood out in softball. She played four years of high level collegiate softball at Sacramento State. While playing at Sacramento State, Nakken was a three-time All-Conference player and a four time Academic All-American. 

Not only will Nakken be an assistant coach, but she will be a foundational piece of the team within the clubhouse. 

“…Alyssa will focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team,” said San Francisco Giants first year manager Gabe Kapler during an official announcement to the media. 

This hiring took the sports world by storm, as the name Alyssa Nakken was relatively unheard of at the time of the hiring. 

“Personally, I do not know who Alyssa Nakken is, but this hiring opens the door for other female athletes because it shows that the gender barrier within sports is lessening,” said Joel Alexander, a senior at Naugatuck High School. 

In regards to the lessening of the gender barrier of women coaches in professional sports, there have been a few other women who have been hired as part of the staff of NFL teams. Specifically, Katie Sowers was hired to the staff of the San Francisco 49ers, and Jennifer King was hired to the staff of the Washington Redskins. 

Nakken, among other women, seem to be true pioneers who are breaking away from the gender norms within sports, and landing jobs on the staff of professional teams. 

On the other hand, there are people or critics who feel that women such as Alyssa Nakken are not as qualified or experienced as men are. 

“I do not think that the hiring of a female coach is beneficial to the sport because she lacks experience in the sport of pro baseball” said Alexander. 

This comment has been frequently brought up by other people in critics of the hiring. The fact that Nakken never played baseball or coached baseball seems to concern fans of the Giants. 

Although this is the first hiring of a woman in MLB history, it seems as if the world could expect a growing trend in the hiring of women as coaches.