Suzyn Waldman

A former musical theater actress and lifelong baseball fan, she made a career change as she approached her 40s. Waldman went back to school for broadcast journalism and was hired to do updates by WFAN in 1987. Some higher-ups criticized her because of her gender and her accent (she's from Boston). They attempted to get her to quit by giving her overnight jobs but instead, overnight host Steve Somers taught her everything she needed to know about broadcasting (Albanese, 2019).

Waldman found ways to make herself indispensable. She "offered to drive to the various arenas and stadiums —Yankees, Knicks, even Devils to get sound bites" (Albanese, 2019).

Suzyn Waldman is the first woman to serve as a full-time, season-long color commentator for a major-league baseball team, the New York Yankees. In 2009, Waldman became the first woman to call a World Series game on the radio (WFAN) and her microphone is enshrined in Cooperstown. Waldman is considered the matriarch of Yankees baseball (Albanese, 2019).

The profile linked, written by Laura Albanese for Newsday, details these obstacles Waldman faced and still faces as the only woman to color commentate for Yankees baseball.

WFAN radio personality Suzyn Waldman in the radio booth prior to the game against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, March 30, 2019. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan/Joseph D. Sullivan