Powell of Triple-A in the Minor League
I'm officially invited to spring camp
You'll be selected as a "supplementary selection" during the season

In 1997, the National Basketball Association (NBA) made its debut appearance as the first female referee. The National Football League opened its doors to female referees in 2012. However, there has been no single female referee in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), which has over 150 years of history. Even at a time when people were discussing introducing robot referees, there was little room for female referees to squeeze in.

This year, the first female lead of the season may come out. MLB.COM and other media reported on Wednesday that Jennifer Powell, who is currently playing for Triple-A Minor League, has been officially invited to the MLB spring camp this season. It is the first time that a female umpire has been invited to the spring camp since Pam Postema in 1988.

Being invited to the spring camp means that you have entered the final stage of playing in the MLB game. If there is a vacancy due to injury or vacation of existing referees during the season, supplementary personnel will be selected from among the referees invited to spring training. In other words, if there is a vacancy in the referee team during this season, referee Powell could be selected as a supplement and put into the game.

Judge Powell started his career as a referee in the minor league rookie league in 2016, and moved up to Triple-A last year, seven years later. It was also the first time in more than 30 years that a woman served as a referee in Triple-A. In the past, Postema had six years of experience in Triple-A, and in 1988, he was invited to spring camp for the first time in history. It seemed that he would be promoted to a referee in the MLB soon. However, discussions on promotion of Postema fizzled out when then-MLB Commissioner Bart Zermati suddenly died in 1989. 안전 토토사이트

MLB said that chances are high that Judge Powell will play in MLB games since the Posteme in the past. The U.S. baseball community is also changing its view of female referees. Prior to Judge Powell, only six female referees were appointed in minor leagues. However, nine female referees are currently active in minor leagues.