Since last June, MLB Network has handled some tough topics under the MLB Tonight: A Conversation banner from Juneteenth 2020 to a Martin Luther King Jr. Day panel discussion to a March discussion on women in baseball. This Sunday night, they’ll be airing a new installment focused on the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in baseball. It’s good timing for that, with May being Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Here’s more on what MLBN has planned from a release:
The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in baseball will be the focus of a new MLB Tonight: A Conversation program this Sunday, May 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET on MLB Network. Co-hosted by Stephen Nelson and Adnan Virk, the 90-minute program will feature MLB Network analyst Ron Darling, Miami Marlins General Manager Kim Ng, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Texas Rangers bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong, Kansas City Royals Assistant General Manager-Baseball Administration Jin Wong and San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi discussing baseball’s stand against the recent increase in violence towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and the importance of growing the community throughout the game.
…“Being a voice in and for our community is probably the driving force in my professional life, so I am incredibly grateful to MLB Network and MLB for giving us a stage like this to celebrate our cultures, highlight the outstanding representatives within our game, and amplify our stories,” said Nelson.
“Being of Asian descent is something I take great pride in,” said Virk. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this show which shines a light on Asians in my favorite sport of baseball and the impact they are making both inside and outside the lines.”
To further address the landscape for members of the AAPI community in baseball, Joon Lee (ESPN), Sweeny Murti (WFAN New York), Do-Hyoung Park (MLB.com) and Jen Mac Ramos (Baseball Prospectus) will join the program as part of a media roundtable.
And here’s a clip from that special featuring Nelson and Virk talking with Milwaukee Brewers’ second baseman Kolten Wong:
It’s cool to see MLB Network doing specials like this, and to see them recognizing and spotlighing media voices from outside the MLB.com/MLBN family. There are a lot of important Asian American and Pacific Islander members of the MLB community and the MLB media community, and it’s good to see them recognized this way. This also feels like a good way for a league network to do something a little bit outside of the norm, and for MLB Network in particular to carry on with a series that’s worked well for them.
The new MLB Tonight: A Conversation will air Sunday at 8:00 p.m ET on MLB Network.
