Former softball player Jessica Mendoza was the target of a sexist social media rant this week after she was first female analyst in a MLB post-season game. Mike Bell, an Atlanta sports radio host, used derogatory insults from the movie “Anchorman,” against Mendoza, and tweeted, "Really? A women's softball slugger as guest analyst on MLB Wildcard Game? Once again ESPN too frigging cute for their own good." He continued, "You guys are telling me there isn't a more qualified Baseball player ESPN can use than a softball player? Gimme a break!"
On Wednesday, 92.9 The Game in Atlanta suspended Bell for three days and he also issued an apology,"I want to take this opportunity to say to Jessica that what I said was dumb and hurtful and I apologize for putting that garbage on Twitter. There is no place for that kind of stuff on our show."
Female colleagues have showed their support for the host," It wasn’t a question of her being capable, but she was entering a space where there just haven’t been a lot of opportunities for women,” said Jemele Hill of “His & Hers” an ESPN radio show. “I couldn’t be prouder of her.” Andrea Ocampo, the sports reporter for the NHL Florida Panthers, also expressed her opinion about the sexist comments, while she has never experienced what Mendoza recently did, she had her share of doubters, "I was able to shut down my critics by showing them that I'm the real deal." Ocampo encourages women to work hard and have a strong business mindset in the world of sports which is mostly dominated by men.
Mendoza accepted the apology during an appearance on Good Morning America by taking the high road and explaining that "any time there is a change, there's normally a lot of resistance. I think the [thing I was most] excited about was the aftermath and how much support there really was," she said. "I accept his apology. To me, it really was about the fact that he came after me because I was a woman."
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