For the first time in MLB history, a woman will serve as the leading play-by-play announcer for a major league team. Jenny Cavnar has been announced as the primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics by NBC Sports California.
Cavnar is an industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience. She has spent the last 12 years as a backup play-by-play announcer, pregame and postgame host, and reporter for the Colorado Rockies regional television broadcaster. She has also covered the San Diego Padres as an anchor and reporter.
Matt Murphy, President and General Manager of NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area, expressed his excitement about Cavnar joining the team. He described her as a talented announcer with significant experience covering baseball and praised her as a groundbreaking professional who has earned the admiration of fans and peers throughout her career.
This is not the first time Cavnar has made history in the broadcasting world. In 2015, she became the first woman to broadcast a National League game live on radio. Three years later, she became the first woman since Gayle Gardner in 1993 to call play-by-play for an MLB game. Cavnar has been recognized for her achievements, winning five Emmy awards and being named Colorado Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association in 2021.
Cavnar expressed her excitement about joining the Oakland A’s broadcast team and being a part of their rich baseball history. She shared that she has loved the game since a young age and is excited to start her 18th season as a major league broadcaster alongside her good friend, Dallas Braden.
Cavnar’s appointment as a play-by-play announcer is a significant milestone, as women have traditionally been limited to color commentary roles in sports broadcasting. While baseball has seen some female representation in its history, with Suzyn Waldman providing color commentary for the New York Yankees and Jessica Mendoza breaking barriers as an analyst, serving as the lead voice on a televised broadcast is a relatively new frontier. Before Cavnar’s appearance in 2018, Gayle Gardner was the only woman to call a baseball game for 25 years.
The presence of women in sports media coverage continues to grow. In other sports, women have made strides in play-by-play roles, such as A.J. Mleczko and Leah Hextall in NHL coverage and Doris Burke, Candace Parker, Stephanie White, and Monica McNutt in NBA coverage. However, in the MLB, NBA, and NHL, there are currently no women in play-by-play roles on any regional coverage desk, except for Beth Mowins calling games for ESPN.
It is worth noting that Cavnar’s historic appointment is contingent on the future of the Oakland Athletics. The team currently has a contract with NBC Sports Bay Area, but if they are unable to stay in Oakland and move to Las Vegas, the regional sports network may not be contractually bound to pay the rights fee. In such a scenario, the MLB could potentially take over the team’s game coverage.
Jenny Cavnar’s appointment as the primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics is a significant milestone for women in MLB broadcasting. It highlights the progress being made in diversifying sports media coverage and paves the way for more women to take on leading roles in play-by-play commentary.
