Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is a sport in which men predominate. Throughout its century-plus existence, it has been almost entirely taught by men, governed by men, and controlled by males in practically every aspect of its business. In recent years, just a few women have achieved success. And the women who comprise the steadily growing, but still very small, community of women who work in and around the NFL, from the small but growing ranks of assistant coaches to league executives, agents, referees, and marketers, value anything that inspires more women to consider careers in the sport, even if they are unable to play in the games. So, how do these historical figures seem in the modern world?
Discussion
Certain inquiries have a simple answer: “no, males are fundamentally stronger than women.” This is one of them. While a woman who exercises consistently may be stronger than an average guy, NFL players represent the peak of athletic ability. In other words, regardless of how hard a woman works, a male working at the same level of intensity will always exceed her in terms of strength. As a result, a woman will almost certainly never be able to participate in the National Football League.” However, many individuals feel forced to refrain from making such assertions in 2018, owing to the fact that it is 2018. It is likely that they are currently operating lawfully and within the limits. They may even play in collegiate basketball, the NCAA’s sole gender-neutral sport. On the other hand, professional football requires such strenuous physical demands that no woman will ever be able to live up to the expectations. They will never be able to compete in the trenches due to their insignificant size. They are not even close to competing in terms of speed and explosion. If you go online, you’ll learn that Nebraska women’s basketball owns the school record for vertical leap at 26.5 inches. If it occurred now, it would be the worst vertical by a running back or wide receiver in the prior two decades.
When you consider that an NFL team need both size and explosiveness, it’s simple to see why this arrangement would fail. I’m convinced NFL organizations would be interested in a 6’2″ wide receiver “receiver, wide. “If she showed up at a school’s pro day, she would be a 220-pound women doing a 4.5 40,” the author writes. However, it is more likely that the whole scouting party will be attacked by invading Martians during the drill, rather than just a few people.
I’ve dreamed of being a professional football player and earning millions of dollars doing what I love since I was a youngster. Football was my favorite sport, despite the fact that I played in almost every other sport. That was the catalyst for my decision to confront this obstacle head-on. In my thoughts, I wondered whether there were any other girls who felt the same way I did about football but doubted their ability to succeed on their own (Iannaconi). Obviously, my literary studies will have little effect in this field, but it is feasible that my efforts will help me understand why women are underrepresented in the NFL. Historically, the NFL has been seen as a “sport” exclusive for males. Technically, it is classified as sports entertainment, thus the use of the term “sport.”. Because the NFL is a business, it is plausible that each game was arranged or “fixed” in advance. Was it for this reason why there have been no female players in the NFL until recently? They feel it is an ill-advised business move? While this is a possibility, it is implausible at the moment.
Despite the absence of female football players in the NFL, a number of teams have recently employed female coaches to fill the role formerly held by men. While not all of these jobs are head coaching positions, they are all very important. Consider Lori Locust, a third-year NFL assistant defensive line coach (Iannaconi). She began her coaching career as a player with the Central Pennsylvania Vipers of the (IWFL) “Independent Women’s Football League.” This league has been a full-contact female football league since its debut in 2000. Regrettably, it too concluded its run in 2018.
After four years with the Vipers, she was promoted to team captain. The next year, she had an injury and had to withdraw from the sport. Later, she aided a National Arena League club as an assistant coach (NAL). In March of this year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (an NFL franchise) hired Locust as an assistant defensive line coach (Kern). Within two years after signing with the Buccaneers, she became the first woman to earn a Super Bowl ring.
(Locust and her son celebrating the Super Bowl)
Women have made significant strides in the NFL during the last several years. In 2015, Jen Welter became the NFL’s first female coach, a trend that has maintained since then. At the moment, there are twelve of them. I could write a complete dissertation on Jen and her contributions to the sport. However, I’ll keep it brief. Jen left the Cardinals in 2015 to write “Play Big: Lessons on Being Limitless from the NFL’s First Female Coach,” a book on the grit necessary to achieve what she has.
Jennifer King, is another woman I’d want to highlight briefly but who may be the focus of her own research paper. In 2018, she was picked as an intern by our very own Ron Rivera, the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. After being passed up for the position of offensive coordinator at Dartmouth, A coaching associate on the offensive side was her new role. As one of the first recipients, her name was called out. An incentive for female teachers to succeed is provided by this award. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, the following statement is accurate (Kern). “Girls need to see women as leaders in all aspects of their lives.” Sadly, the number of female coaches has decreased since the introduction of Title IX. Thanks to Scott Pioli and his family’s generosity, we’re doing our part to change that.
Female football coaches and scouts will be able to overcome the gender divide and pursue their dreams. The Fund directly assists potential female football coaches and scouts with financial aid. Assisting them in their growth, education, and training. aiding them in their professional advancement in high schools, universities, and the NFL” (Jhabvala). That is a fantastic starting point. As a result, she is the first African American female coach. As a result, by 2022, we will witness an increase in the number of women in key positions on these big NFL clubs. Everybody can now see that women and men are equally capable of training these excellent football players.
So how come there don’t seem to be any female players? You’re almost certain to believe that guys have an edge because…. They are, after all, guys. What if I told you they didn’t have a competitive advantage? In 5.5 million international chess tournaments, Tom Stafford (Stafford) highlighted in a brief article that “female players exceed expectations when competing against males. Although football is not chess, I consider it to be a game. At the onset of the Inquiry, I wondered if we might see women in the NFL sooner rather than later. Men’s sports leagues continue to increase in popularity, while women’s sports leagues continue to rise in popularity. It seems to be nearly unavoidable. Every day, women demonstrate their abilities to demonstrate their strength. And I’m not sure the football field will be their last stop.
The TIDES organization’s annual report shows that female presence in the NFL league office, club senior administration, team CEOs and presidents, and team assistant coaches was 38.8 percent in the 2021 season. (TIDES computed these statistics during the preseason, when the NFL employed 12 women as assistant coaches; the number is now down to six—those who departed were on temporary fellowships.) Since then, the percentage of CEOs and presidents has increased, with Kristi Coleman rising to president of the Carolina Panthers from CFO. Notably, the NFL has never had a female head coach or general manager (Jhabvala). If those figures do not seem to be extraordinary, that is because they are not—at the very least, they are far from equal—but getting this far has needed years of behind-the-scenes effort. And the women who are currently employed in the sector have been instrumental in advancing this cause.
According to the 2016 TIDES survey, there were fewer women in the NFL five years ago at every level. “It’s a positive indicator of development and growth,” says Sam Rapoport, co-founder of the Women’s Careers in Football Forum and senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the NFL. “We are all aware that we are not where we want to be and that we will not be until we accomplish 50% in every position,” the NFL states. Historically, women have been excluded from the NFL for a variety of reasons, the most prevalent of which are missed networking opportunities. I believe that males continue to get hired because they are drinking beer at the Super Bowl or Senior Bowl, golfing with their mates, or doing activities that women are not permitted to do.”
In 2013, more over 40% of NFL viewers were female, and by 2020, that figure had risen to 47%. On the other hand, being an ardent fan of the game does not automatically qualify someone, regardless of gender, as an expert in Xs and Os. For many individuals, the best way to get a deeper knowledge of the game is to play it and along the way, to create a network of instructors and mentors.
For years, NFL players, coaches, and league management have been lambasted for their role in creating a hostile work environment and failing to hold themselves responsible when they engage in wrongdoing (especially when it comes to domestic violence against women). Even if increasing the number of women in the workforce isn’t the solution to all of these issues, it does help. Consider Amy Trask, the first female CEO of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Trask placed pressure on Raiders owner Al Davis to terminate Michael Vick’s contract after he was convicted of illegal dog fighting. She appreciates that he made the effort to contact her and express his interest in her. This graphic is only one example of how having a diverse group of people in the room may alter the company’s culture. “Diversity and inclusion enable a firm to exist and grow,” says Trask. No one seems to understand, which makes me even more perplexed.
According to an investigation of his behavior, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was discovered to have sent multiple racist, homophobic, and sexist emails over the period of several years. He announced his retirement in October, yet his legacy will live on for many years to come. Adding to this, Joy Taylor, co-host of The Herd on Fox Sports 1 and The Joy Taylor Show on Fox Sports Radio, says, “The decisions he could’ve made, the people he could’ve turned down, the doors he could’ve closed.” Because influential people wield so much power, it is critical to develop a network of friends.
Work Cited
Iannaconi, Emily. “The NFL Has a Record 12 Women Serving as Coaches in 2021, Progress That’s Both Overdue and Just in Time.” Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/emilyiannaconi/2021/09/08/the-nfls-record-12-women-coaches-in-2021-is-both-overdue-and-just-in-time/.
Kern, Mason. “Jen Welter and the Backstory on the NFL’s Female Coach Pioneer.” Sports Illustrated Arizona Cardinals News, Analysis and More, www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/news/jen-welter-coaching-intern-first-female-coach.. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.
“The Scott Pioli & Family Fund for Women Football Coaches and Scouts.” “The Scott Pioli & Family Fund for Women Football Coaches and Scouts.” Women’s Sports Foundation, www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wsf_programs/piolifund/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.
Jhabvala, Nicki. “Washington’s Jennifer King set to become NFL’s first Black woman named full-time assistant coach.” Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2021, p. NA. Gale AcademicOneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A649297293/AONE?u=char69915&sid=bookmarkONE&xid=9e58af4b. Accessed 24 Feb. 2022
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