Episode 33: Jessica Mendoza

Jessica Mendoza: the ESPN Analyst and Olympic Gold Medalist on breaking barriers and speaking out against sexual harassment

Today, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst and retired softball star Jessica Mendoza joins Opening the Playbook to discuss breaking barriers, diversity, and why she is so vocal about supporting those who speak up against sexual harassment in sports.

Sports are in Jessica’s blood as she spent much of her childhood in the dugout watching her dad coach at the college level. She says she’s always played ball and got serious about it as a teen when she made the decision to dedicate herself to the game. It’s something she advocates for young girls, telling them to find their differences and hone in on their skills.

Jessica’s passion for softball led to an impressive college career with Stanford, where she was a four-time First Team All American. That success continued with the US Women’s National Team, where she won an Olympic Gold and Silver.

She’s now an analyst on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN where she’s hoping to impact people in different ways through story. She’s also passionate about showing support for women who have voiced their stories of sexual harassment, which she hopes will help put a bigger spotlight on the impact of the issue in sport.

Today, Jessica also shares what her journey with ESPN has been like and gives us her pick for who to watch this upcoming MLB season.

Episode topics:

· Being the first woman to call a national World Series broadcast & her career at ESPN

· Standing up against sexual harassment in sports

· Being an advocate for diversity & women in sports

· Her prediction for the upcoming MLB season

Quote:

“I think if we can have more women voices telling the story, reporting the story, but doing it from a sense of, thank you for speaking out, thank you for coming forward, because I know that this must have been so hard and so painful….and it takes these brave, brave people to come out and say, hey this is what happened, and it wasn’t okay and we need it to stop.”

-Jessica Mendoza

Resources:

Guest Info – Jessica Mendoza

Instagram: @jessmendoza2

Twitter: @jessmendoza

Facebook: Jessica Mendoza

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook