Women in DFW Sports Blazing Trails For Next Generation By Taylor Baird
The women who work in sports in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have been trailblazers long before movements like ‘Me Too’ or the push for social justice during COVID-19 changed the game. As teams and venues learned to navigate “the new normal” of social distancing and health and safety standards, women at all levels within each organization helped push sports forward, even as games were being played without fans. “The good thing for women in sports is we’ve done a lot of the firsts already,” said Sarah Woodruff, Associate Director of Football Operations at SMU. Taunee Taylor,
AVP of Alumni and Player Relations for the Texas Rangers, has seen a lot of those firsts up close herself. She said when she started with the club 40 years ago, most of the time women were only hired in support roles. “Of late it’s been rewarding to see that there have been tremendous strides made by women for advancement in all facets of the business, regardless of in the office or on the field,” she said. “I am excited that we have been able to pave the way so that young girls have no limits as to the goals they’ll be able to pursue in baseball or otherwise.”