Marlins general manager Kim Ng part of Biden, Harris inauguration ceremony event
The Miami Marlins had representation Wednesday at events following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the country’s 49th Vice President and first female to hold the office.
Marlins general manager Kim Ng, the first female general manager in MLB history and believed to be the first woman hired as a general manager by any major professional men’s team in North America, was part of a pre-recorded video montage that aired at the introduction of Wednesday’s “Celebrating America” television special.
Ng, basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, and Brayden Harrington, a teen who Biden bonded with during his campaign, recited portions of famous inaugural address from past presidents in their appearance.
Ng recited an excerpt of Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address from Jan. 20, 1981.
“To a few of us here today, this is a solemn and most momentous occasion; and yet, in the history of our Nation, it is a commonplace occurrence,” the speech goes. “The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.”
Abdul-Jabbar recited a portion of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address (“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.”), Huerta had Franklin Delano Roosevelt (“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”), and Harrington spoke the words of John F. Kennedy (“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”).
The show, hosted by Tom Hanks and filled with a flurry of celebrity guests and musical performers, was held in lieu of the usual inaugural balls that follow the day’s ceremonies.
Ng was one of several sports figures to participate in various events surrounding Wednesday’s inauguration. Others include Abdul-Jabbar, who read a passage from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address; Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller, the first female to participate in and score points in a football game for a Power 5 team; and Olympians Nathan Chen, Allyson Felix and Katie Ledecky.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 8:57 PM.
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