How Many Female Referees Are There In The NFL?
Contents
- The NFL’s officiating staff is predominantly male
- There are only a handful of female referees in the NFL
- Some believe that the NFL should do more to increase the number of female referees
- Others believe that the NFL is making strides in increasing the number of female referees
- The NFL has made an effort to increase the number of female referees in recent years
- The number of female referees in the NFL is slowly but surely increasing
The National Football League (NFL) has been coming under fire in recent years for its lack of diversity, particularly when it comes to the officiating crews. There are currently only seven female referees in the NFL, and many fans and commentators have called for the league to do better in terms of gender representation.
So, how many female referees are there in the NFL? The answer, unfortunately, is not very many. As of the 2019 season, there are only seven female referees out
The NFL’s officiating staff is predominantly male
According to a recent report, the NFL’s officiating staff is predominantly male. Out of the 121 officials working for the league, only 11 are women. This means that women make up just 9% of all NFL referees.
There are a variety of reasons why the number of female officials is so low. For one, many women simply don’t have the same opportunity to get involved in football as men do. Girls’ and women’s teams are not as prevalent as they are in other sports, so fewer women have the experience needed to officiate at the professional level.
In addition, some people argue that football is simply too physical for women to officiate safely. NFL games are notoriously fast-paced and aggressive, and it can be difficult for officials to keep up with the play and properly protect themselves from oncoming players. This is especially true for women, who are often not as strong as men and may not be able to physically defend themselves as well on the field.
Despite these challenges, there has been some progress made in recent years to increase the number of female officials in the NFL. In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to ever officiate an NFL game, and she is now a full-time member of the league’s officiating staff. It is hoped that her success will inspire more women to pursue careers in football officiating, and help break down some of the barriers that have traditionally prevented them from doing so.
There are only a handful of female referees in the NFL
In 2014, Maia Chaka became the first full-time female referee in the NFL. Since then, there have been a handful of other female referees who have worked full-time or as part-time officials in the NFL.
In 2017, Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official in the NFL. In 2019, she was joined by another full-time female official, Alex Kemp. There are currently two other part-time female officials in the NFL: Dana McKenzie and Brie Bellavia.
So while the number of female referees in the NFL is still relatively small, it is growing. And with more women becoming involved in officiating at all levels of football, it is likely that we will see even more female officials in the NFL in the years to come.
Some believe that the NFL should do more to increase the number of female referees
As of 2019, there are only a handful of female referees in the NFL. Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official in 2015, and in the four years since, only a handful of other women have joined her. Some believe that the NFL should do more to increase the number of female referees, arguing that it would make the game more inclusive and improve officiating overall. However, others contend that increasing the number of female officials would simply lower the quality of officiating, as women are not as physically capable as men and lack the experience needed to be effective officials.
Others believe that the NFL is making strides in increasing the number of female referees
While the NFL has made strides in increasing the number of female referees, there is still room for improvement. In the past, the NFL has been criticized for its lack of female referees. In 2020, only 8% of NFL referees were women. This is a slight increase from 2019, when only 6% of NFL referees were women. However, this is still far from the 50/50 gender split that many believe would be ideal.
There are many reasons why there are not more female referees in the NFL. One reason is that women are not given the same opportunities to officiate games at lower levels (such as high school or college) as men are. This means that they don’t have as much experience when they apply to be an NFL referee. Another reason is that some people believe that women are not as good at making quick decisions under pressure as men are. This is an area where more research is needed to see if there is any truth to this claim.
Despite these challenges, there are many people who believe that the NFL should continue to work towards having more female referees. They argue that it would be good for both gender equality and the quality of officiating in the NFL. Having more female referees would also provide more role models for young girls who want to get into officiating.
The NFL has made an effort to increase the number of female referees in recent years
The National Football League (NFL) has made an effort to increase the number of female referees in recent years. As of the 2019 season, there are eight full-time female referees, up from six in 2018 and two in 2017.
The NFL has also implemented a developmental program called the Bill Vinovich Internship Program, which invites female officials to participate in offseason training camps and preseason games. 13 women participated in the program during the 2019 offseason.
The goal of these initiatives is to increase diversity among NFL officials, and while the number of female referees is still relatively small, it is hoped that these programs will continue to grow the pool of qualified candidates in the years to come.
The number of female referees in the NFL is slowly but surely increasing
The number of female referees in the NFL is slowly but surely increasing. In the 2020 season, there were 11 female officials, up from just 2 in the 2019 season. Although this is still a very small percentage of the overall officiating staff, it is encouraging to see the league making an effort to increase diversity among its officials.
There are currently no full-time female officials in the NFL, but Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl in 2020. She is also the first woman to ever hold a full-time officiating position in the NFL. It is hoped that her success will pave the way for more women to join the ranks of NFL officials in the future.