Most have heard of massage therapy and understand the basic premise of what a real massage is. However, how many mentioned three widely known massage therapists off the top of their heads? After some ill-advised comments directed at her expense, one of those masseuses, Kelly Calabrese, became one of the most hyped professionals in the industry overnight. Now what was said and who exactly is Kelly Calabrese?

While still attending a Cleveland massage school in 1995, Calabrese received a client who was interested in a sports massage. Appropriately impressed with the massage, the client referred Kelly to some of his friends, some of whom played major league baseball for the Cleveland Indians. While completing his education, Calabrese continued to massage some of the Cleveland Indians. After a trade brought some of the players he massaged to Atlanta, Kelly found himself making trips to Atlanta to continue massaging some of the players. Word spread in Atlanta of her services and she picked up some additional players. One of these players was a first baseman named Ryan Klesko.

Klesko asked Kelly to move to San Diego to continue massaging him and perhaps other players. Taking a huge risk, he left his practice in Cleveland and headed to sunny San Diego, California. For the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Kelly balanced creating a new practice along with part-time massage for some of the San Diego Padres, the team Ryan Klesko was traded to. As buzz and evidence of his healing ability began to surface, Padres head coach Todd Hutcheson offered Kelly a full-time position after the conclusion of the 2003 season. Kelly’s role has been massaging and stretching 10 to 15 players a day. She has become the first woman to have access to a club dugout during games and travels with the team on road trips. Kelly Calabrese’s role with the Padres was mostly kept out of the press, apart from a few local interviews and stories here and there. This all changed in early 2006.

Former baseball player and current New York Mets television commentator Keith Hernandez made the following comments upon witnessing a replay of Calabrese high-fiveing ​​players in the dugout:

“You have got to be kidding me… I won’t say that women should be in the kitchen, but not on the bench.”

Hernandez later apologized for the comments.

While at first glance these comments should be interpreted as negative, they ended up having a positive impact on massage therapy in general, women massage therapists in non-traditional roles, and for Kelly Calabrese herself.

In interview after interview conducted by the press about many of Calabrese’s patients (the San Diego Padres players), the reviews were enthusiastic.

Manager Bruce Bochy said, “Kelly is part of this club, part of this coaching staff. She plays a big role in this club helping guys get ready for the ballgame.”

Second baseman Eric Young “She was part of the equation that got me back on track so quickly.”

37-year-old catcher Mike Piazza “The fact that I’m old as far as baseball players go, if I didn’t have someone like Kelly treating me every day, I wouldn’t be able to play as much as I have.” .”

And these are just some of the positive comments Kelly has received.

Kelly recently had her title changed to “sports therapist” from her original title of massage therapist as it more fits her role.

But under whatever name, the awareness that Kelly Calabrese has created for women and massage therapists in general has gone a long way in breaking down any misconceptions and prejudices that may exist.