Women In Sports: Q&A with New York Yankees Host, Lacey Mazzilli

Lacey Mazzilli is an on-air host for the New York Yankees and Yankees On Demand and currently covers events both on and off the field. Before beginning her career with the Yankees, Lacey was working at a marketing advertising agency doing digital marketing and social media but had always been in broadcasting, reporting and sports analyzing. For two years, Lacey balanced her day job with her part-time job at night as a Yankees on-air host for home games, all while having her own social media company. 

Lacey Mazzilli on screen at Yankee Stadium (Photo provided by Lacey Mazzilli)

DoubleGSports: As a woman in sports what challenges did you face when you were first starting out?

Lacey Mazzilli: I was the first female that had been in the office for a few years and I had big shoes to fill. Baseball is traditionally seen as a “man’s sport,” which is not a bad thing, women just aren’t as dominant in the sport right now. As a woman, I loved appealing to the female demographic. I take pride in knowing that maybe a little girl will see me on the screen and hopefully say one day, “I can do that.”

I’m going into my third season now and still pinch myself every day that I get to drive to Yankee’s stadium for my job but that doesn’t mean it’s not difficult. When I was working at my full-time job, it was challenging to try and keep it all together. I was living in Connecticut and would wake up in the morning, drive 30 minutes north to my full-time job, then leave to drive down to the Bronx to make my pregame on air live segments, sometimes stay until 12 if there were extra innings, and then wake up the next morning to do it all over again for the entire series. All while freelancing in social media. Having 3 jobs at once, I had to have it all together at all times and it was definitely challenging. If that meant lack of sleep I was okay with that because I knew I was fulfilling my dream. I was more than happy to take the hardship because I knew it would pay off. Most importantly, I was happy.

DGS: Have you ever felt discouraged as a female in sports?

LM: I never felt discouraged by anyone else but I can be really hard on myself. When I first started off I needed to earn trust from the people that I worked with and I was okay with that. I was okay with having to slowly earn credibility so I think the only discouragement was me on myself because I knew what I was capable of but I needed experience.

In the beginning I was very nervous being the only female and I think I let that get to my head sometimes. I would occasionally mess up but I think that made me better as a worker and as a reporter. It was hard for me to adapt and I would think to myself, I might be the only female, but remember to just be yourself and everything will fall into place. It’s extremely important to have trust from your peers and trust within yourself and I knew that it would take time.

DGS: How do you feel about the current status of women in sports media? What can improve?

LM: I think that things are changing and we are getting to where we need to be. Every year we are growing and improving the status of women in sports media. I love being able to turn on ESPN and seeing women at the commentating desk. It’s so important for women in sports casting to not quit, because discouragement is constant. If you don’t have a thick skin and strong backbone it’s very easy to give up and do something else with your life. As far as helping, I think it’s imperative for women to help other women. It’s a competitive industry, especially between women, and it’s crucial for us to stick together.

Lacey Mazzilli (Photo provided by Lacey Mazzilli)

DGS: In 2015 women made a huge impact in the sports world. Why do you think it took until just recently for women to really start gaining momentum as iconic sports figures? 

LM: To be honest I think women have always been there but social media has had a big impact on bringing light to that. For a long time, women have been dominant in sports in their own way but they haven’t been in the spot light as much.

I think you can make an impact in sports as a female other than just in the media but when you look at athletes like Ronda Rousey and Venus and Serena Williams, they’ve been around, but social media has really helped to bring light to their careers. There is so much empowerment behind the scenes for women even though you might not see it.

DGS: What females in the sports world inspire you? 

LM: Suzyn Waldman. She’s the voice of the Yankees with John Sterling and she inspires me every day. Seeing Susan, who has been working here forever as a female in a man’s world and just see how successful she is, it’s incredible. She has a thick skin and she knows her stuff. She’s sticking up for women in sports even though sometimes it goes unnoticed. She comes in early, covers the game, goes right down to the press conference after every game, she’s down on the field doing post game interviews; she really does it all.

DGS: What advice do you give other women who are looking to work in sports media? 

LM: I can’t say enough how important it is to be yourself and follow your gut. At one point in my career I did something where a job opened up that wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to do, but took it anyway because it was a good opportunity. One day I realized, what am I doing, this isn’t what I want to do.  I learned not to just take something because it’s offered or because it’s sitting in front of you.

For women just starting out, if you have to turn down a few jobs because it’s not what you want to do, then do that. Your happiness is so important. If it feels like it’s not right, listen to your gut. If that means taking internships or a job that doesn’t pay much in the beginning then do that because you’re getting paid in experience. As a woman in sports make sure you stay true to yourself and true to what you want.

DGS: What is the most inspiring piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

LM: I’m not sure I could pick out one piece of advice but I would say my parents are constantly inspiring me. My dad would always to say, ‘if you want it, work hard and you can reach your goal.’ It’s so simple but it’s very true. Then my mom is my constant fire and motivator. At times I find myself wanting to help others over myself so she reminds me that it’s important to be my own advocate in this business. My mom was a female in media back in the 70’s & 80’s and worked as a host for PM Magazine, her co-host was Matt Lauer, so she knows the business. She’s always in my corner.

I would also say that my boss gave me a great piece of advice back when I was starting out. He told me to stop trying to replicate what I see on TV, stop trying to be the norm. Be yourself and you’ll deliver great work.

DGS: What would you be doing if you weren’t working as an on-air host for the Yankees? 

LM: To be honest, I’m not sure. I love all sports, so I would continue my journey in sportscasting. But for now, it’s baseball and it’s working for the Yankees. Baseball is my life. My father played professional baseball for 17 years and I grew up playing sports and was a D1 cheerleader for UConn for four years. So sports is in my blood. My brother plays in the minor leagues for the Mets so when I’m not working here, I’m going to see my brother play in the middle of nowhere. Baseball is kind of like second nature to me. If I wasn’t here, I would find somewhere else in sports. I see myself working in entertainment down the line and hosting my own TV show, but for now, it’s baseball.

DGS: Tell us more about your brother…

LM: My twin brother plays in the minor leagues so it’s safe to say I come from a baseball family. I love it because it gives me both the male and female perspective which in turn I think helps my viewers.

Sometimes I think having my twin brother also in baseball is so bizarre. I work for the Yankees, he works for the Mets. When he eventually is called up to the bigs for the Mets, I hope to do a story on him. I am a Yankee fan but I also can’t help but to be a fan of my brother.

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For all of our 2016 Women In Sports Interview Series features, click here.