The game changers: Female referees in chess, boxing, and softball

By Khaleel Rahman,

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Megan Fitzgerald, Chion Wolf

Published July 20, 2023 at 12:23 PM EDT

1 of 4 — Woman blowing referee's whistle

Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

2 of 4 — Kristi Howard is an 11-year veteran softball umpire in Mississippi. After getting punched in the face by an angry parent, she is advocating for laws to classify assaults against umpires and referees as a felony aggravated assault.

Kristi Howard is an 11-year veteran softball umpire in Mississippi. After getting punched in the face by an angry parent, she is advocating for laws to classify assaults against umpires and referees as a felony aggravated assault.

3 of 4 — Martha Underwood is a National Tournament Director for the U.S. Chess Federation, a member of the U.S. Chess Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee, and advocate for the non-profit, 9 Queens.

Martha Underwood is a National Tournament Director for the U.S. Chess Federation, a member of the U.S. Chess Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee, and advocate for the non-profit, 9 Queens.

Lana Chess Photography

4 of 4 — Sparkle Lee (pictured with Marvin Haggler) is the first female boxing ref to be licensed in New York and New Jersey, the first woman to ref in the NY Golden Gloves boxing tournament, the only woman to ref a match at Yankee Stadium, and she was the first referee ever to be inducted into the International Women Boxing Hall of Fame.

Sparkle Lee (pictured with Marvin Haggler) is the first female boxing ref to be licensed in New York and New Jersey, the first woman to ref in the NY Golden Gloves boxing tournament, the only woman to ref a match at Yankee Stadium, and she was the first referee ever to be inducted into the International Women Boxing Hall of Fame.

When you imagine an umpire, a chess arbiter, or a boxing referee… do you picture women?

In this hour, you'll hear stories from three women in the sports world who are thriving in those particular positions of power.

GUESTS:

Kristi Howard: 11-year veteran softball umpire in Mississippi. After getting punched in the face by an angry parent, she is advocating for laws to classify assaults against umpires and referees as felony aggravated assault.
Martha Underwood: National Tournament Director for the U.S. Chess Federation, and an advocate for the non-profit 9 Queens
Sparkle Lee: First female boxing ref to be licensed in New York and New Jersey, the first woman to ref in the NY Golden Gloves boxing tournament, the only woman to ref a match at Yankee Stadium, and she was the first referee ever to be inducted into the International Women Boxing Hall of Fame

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Khaleel Rahman, Meg Fitzgerald, Meg Dalton, Carol Chen, Stacey Addo, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.