Historic! Jen Pawol will be the first female MLB umpire in 100 years.

▲ A 48-year-old New Jersey native, Pawol worked in this season's training camp. AP Photo

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La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12

New York. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced yesterday that Jen Pawol will be the first female umpire in a regular-season game in its more than 100-year history.

The New Jersey native, a minor league umpire since 2016, will be part of the umpiring crew for the three-game series between the Marlins and Braves in Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday.

Baseball has done a great job of being completely inclusive , Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I'll be watching. It's good for the game ."

At 48 years old, Pawol worked spring training games in 2024 and this year.

The MLB's decision comes 28 years after the gender barrier for referees was broken in the NBA, 10 years after it was dissolved in the NFL, and three years after the men's World Cup employed a female referee. The NHL still has no women on the ice.

In 2024, Pawol became the first woman to umpires major league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Cortesio spent nine years in the minor leagues, including the last five in the Double-A Southern League, and was released after the 2007 season.

"We'd seen a lot of her in spring training ," said Philadelphia Phillies star Trea Turner. "I don't know much about her, stats or anything like that, but if she's doing a great job, I love the opportunity and I'm happy for it. I talked to her a little bit in spring training, and she seems like a great person; I wish her all the best ."

Pawol was a New Jersey All-State softball and soccer player for three seasons in each sport at West Milford High School. She attended Hofstra University on a softball scholarship, was selected to the All-Conference team three times, and was a member of the 2001 U.S. Women's National Baseball Team.

Pawol earned a master's degree and lived in the Binghamton, New York area, where he pursued certification at Elmira College while continuing to play on-site.

I wasn't really satisfied , she said last year.

After competing in NCAA softball from 2010 to 2016, she attended an MLB umpire tryout camp in 2015, was invited to the Umpire Training Academy in Vero Beach, Florida, and was offered a position in the Gulf Coast League in 2016.

Violet Palmer became the first female NBA referee when she officiated the Dallas-Vancouver game on October 31, 1997, and Sarah Thomas became the first in the NFL when she served as a linesman for the Kansas City-Houston game on September 13, 2015.

France's Stéphanie Frappart did the same when refereeing a men's World Cup match, overseeing Germany's 4-2 group stage win over Costa Rica on December 1, 2022. Rebecca Walsh became the first to referee in the English Premier League, overseeing Burnley's 2-0 win over Fulham on December 23, 2023.

MLB has 76 full-time umpires and uses substitute umpires to fill vacancies due to injuries and vacations.

Reuters and AP

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12

The U.S. Open announced that $90 million in prize money will be distributed this year, the largest purse in tennis history and 20 percent more than in 2024, when the total compensation was $75 million.

Top ATP and WTA players have called for a more equitable distribution of revenue across this season's four Grand Slams , as those at the top can benefit from increased prize money while lower-level players often struggle.

Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, as well as reigning champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the Big Four bosses in March, calling for more prize money and a greater say in decisions that directly impact them .

Now, the winners of the men's and women's singles categories will each receive $5 million, up from $3.6 million last year. The U.S. Open singles competition has been extended to 15 days due to increased attendance, and will run from August 24 to September 7.

This year sees the introduction of a new format for mixed doubles, which will feature many renowned players, as it will be played over two days in the week preceding the start of the main competition at Flushing Meadows. Attendance at the US Open surpassed one million fans for the first time in 2024.

At Wimbledon, which ended last month, prize money increased by about seven percent to approximately $73 million when the All England Club announced its payouts to players. Singles champions received about $4 million each.

The 2025 US tournament prize pool includes singles, doubles, and qualifying. The announcement comes after the United States Tennis Association announced in May that its main stadium, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be renovated as part of an $800 million project. It was touted as the largest investment in the tournament's history.

▲ Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro (front left) finished 37th in the second stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, placing him 21 seconds behind the leader and 28th in the overall standings. The Ensenada native was just outside the top 10 in a race where Italian Matteo Moschetti won after a photo finish ahead of Matteo Malucelly and Colombian Juan Sebastian Moreno, who finished third. Despite not occupying the top spots, Del Toro completed the route without incident after his spectacular fall in the first phase of the tour. He will face the mountains over the next three days, where he could climb the ladder. Photo @uae_teams_emirates

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12