NESN turned Wednesday night’s Red Sox game into a Women’s Celebration Night, and the network’s all-female broadcast instantly became part of the story at Fenway Park.
Boston beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 and moved to 62-51, but plenty of viewers were talking less about the shutout than about who was calling it. Emma Tiedemann handled play-by-play, Alanna Rizzo worked color, and Kasey Hudson was on sideline duty. NESN also used an all-female studio team and production crew for the night.
The setup drew plenty of praise from fans who liked the idea and appreciated the showcase. It also drew a loud wave of pushback from viewers who said they wanted the regular broadcast crew in place for the game itself.
Dave Portnoy was among the critics. “I have no problem with a women’s night for the Sox broadcast but can we announce the game? This stinks,” he posted.
Other fans echoed that sentiment, arguing that the broadcast was too different from what they were used to. One viewer wrote, “This needs to be on NESN+ I really don’t care if people get pissed at me.
You have so many other ways to do this than taking away a constant. If I’m Dave O Brien or Lou Merloni, I’d be bullshit.
That’s their job! And I don’t care if this is for one night.
It’s ridiculous!”
There were also supporters who said the concept should spread elsewhere. “If the Red Sox and NESN can do a women’s celebration broadcast game.
The Blue Jays and Sportsnet should do the same. It’s a great way to celebrate and appreciate the talent women who contribute to baseball both on and off the field,” one fan commented.
Another viewer said the broadcast itself was strong, even if the format took some getting used to. “The awesome part about the all women broadcast on NESN is that they’re great at it.
It’s not the voices you’re used to traditionally, but they’re technically solid. My problem is it’s so jarringly different.
I’d like them to be interspersed more,” the fan said.
But the criticism kept coming. “@NESN broadcast tonight is terrible. Have no problem with bringing women on but you gotta at least have women that call the game, and don’t just yap the entire time,” one person wrote.
Another went after the booth directly, saying, “This broadcast is awful. Lou Merloni would have talked about the incident at 1st base and then the retaliation. These women suck”
Not every reaction was serious. One sarcastic post read, “Why stop with women?
When is the gay broadcast? And the ‘trans’ cast?
When is the all furries broadcast? Not nearly inclusive enough,”
NESN has done similar nights before, and Wednesday’s reaction showed how divided fans still are when a special broadcast replaces the usual voices for a full game. Some want more of it.
Some want none of it. On this night, the women in the booth did exactly what they were asked to do while the Red Sox kept rolling.
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