Atlanta sports radio host, Mike Bell, apologized to Jessica Mendoza after his sexist comment on Twitter about her position as a Major League Baseball analyst.
“What I said was hurtful and I wanna [sic] take this opportunity to say to Jessica that what I said was dumb, and there’s just no place for it, and I apologize for putting that garbage on Twitter,” Bell said.
.@mikebell929‘s official apology & statement on his Tweet about @jessmendoza | Read it here: http://t.co/irnwOmGtXc pic.twitter.com/TACRXNdHFG
— 92.9 The Game (@929TheGame) October 7, 2015
Last Tuesday, Mendoza made history as the first female analyst for MLB. And unlike other analysts who were bashed because of their style or opinion, Mendoza was criticized because of her gender.
Bell said in his post, “Really? A women’s softball slugger as guest analyst on MLB Wildcard Game? Once again ESPN too frigging cute for their own good.” He then followed another post saying, “You guys are telling me there isn’t a more qualified Baseball player ESPN can use than a softball player? Gimme a break!”
Mendoza said she saw the posts but chose to ignore the insults. Meanwhile, Bell was suspended from his daily radio show The Game on 92.9 for two weeks. “I accept his apology,” Jessica Mendoza said. “To me, it really was about the fact that he came after me because I was a woman.” “I feel very confident… I’m looking forward to the future,” she continued.
“He came after me because I was a woman.” Female MLB analyst Jessica Mendoza talks backlash http://t.co/JPraLFBmBE pic.twitter.com/eK8phYogNn — Yahoo News (@YahooNews) October 8, 2015
This was not the first time Mendoza received negative feedback for being a female sports analyst.
She was also bashed for being the first woman in the booth for an ESPN MLB broadcast during a match-up between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals in August.
Despite the backlash she got from other viewers, a lot of people offered positive comments to Mendoza. ESPN stated that it would continue to support her as well.
Embarrassed by Mike Bell’s comments, given he’s on our flagship station. Inappropriate and disappointing.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 7, 2015
Jessica Mendoza, on the other hand, said that she’s looking forward to the day when women would be judged for their qualifications and not their gender.
“Yes, I am a female, but I want it to get to the point where, let’s think about what I am saying, what I am doing, and not so much the sex that I am,” Mendoza said.