Last month's hiring of Sarah Thomas as a National Football League official brings to mind the question of why there has never been a female umpire in the major leagues or Japanese professional baseball.
The National Basketball Association welcomed two women, Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner, as referees in 1997, a full 18 years ago, so when will the MLB or NPB make news by adding a lady to its umpiring roster?
It was in 1989 when Perry Lee Barber, an aspiring umpire, was introduced to Japanese baseball by Kazuo Sayama, a historian of the game. Barber worked two Orix Braves preseason games in the Kansai area; one behind the plate and one at second base.