CLAIRE SMITH- on breaking barriers and being one of the most trusted women in baseball

Claire Smith is a walking encyclopedia of baseball knowledge. Her love affair with the game began long before she became a legendary journalist. As a young girl, her Mom shared stories about Jackie Robinson’s exploits. It wasn’t long before she was listening to Dodgers games on a transistor radio in her bed, at times even in French. 

Smith came from a family of dreamers. Her parents fostered her love of baseball with an antique typewriter at age nine, beginning her passion for writing. In 1982, she became the first woman to cover a major league baseball beat full-time, for the Hartford Courant.  

In this wide ranging conversation, Smith talks about her parents influence and Jackie Robinson’s impact on her life. She shares the advice she’d give her younger self, being denied entry into the Padres clubhouse during the 1984 National League championship series and why she’s eternally grateful to Steve Harvey.

Smith discusses the significance of the Negro Leagues and why she’s so respected by baseball players and managers. She explains why the light needs to shine on journalism- specifically the need to improve representation for women and people of color. 

She opens up about the fear she still has for her own black son, the need to be proactive instead of reactive, and why it’s still rare to walk into a major league baseball press box and see someone who looks like her.

To follow Claire on social media:
Twitter: @MzCSmith