Are Females Allowed To Play In The NFL?

A quick look at the NFL’s stance on females playing in the league, and whether or not it’s likely to change in the future.

Introduction

Women have been playing organized football for nearly as long as the sport has existed. In the early days of the sport, women were often recruited to play on men’s teams. In the 1920s, a women’s professional football league was formed, but it only lasted for a few years. Women’s football gained popularity in the 1970s, and several women’s leagues were formed. However, none of these leagues lasted very long.

In recent years, there have been a few women who have tried out for NFL teams, but none have been successful in making a team. In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game. Thomas is now a full-time official for the NFL.

So far, there are no women playing in the NFL, but that could change in the future.

History of the NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league. It was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966. After the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the league consisted of two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The AFL’s 10 charter members began to play in 1960 as part of an expansion.

Pre-1920

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world.

The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February. The league is headquartered in New York City.

1920-1940

This decade is referred to as the “golden age” of professional football. Football became a nationally popular sport, with increased attendance and fan interest. The NFL was founded in 1920, and its first president was Jim Thorpe – a star player who was also an Olympic gold medalist. In 1925, the NFL implemented a rule that forbid players from playing while under contract with another team, which stopped players from being poached by other teams. The New York Giants win the first NFL Championship game in 1927. In 1933, the NFL introduced a draft system in order to create a more competitive balance between teams.

1940-1960

In the early days of the sport, there were no formal rules prohibiting women from playing. In fact, women were actively recruited to play on teams alongside men. However, as the sport gained popularity, and as it became more organized and structured, women were gradually pushed out. By the 1940s, it was clear that the NFL was not interested in having women playing alongside men, and so they formally banned women from playing.

There are a few documented cases of women attempting to play in the NFL after the ban was put in place. In 1965, a woman named Kathy Schenck tried out for the New York Jets, but she was quickly cut from the team. In 1972, another woman named Lauren Silberman tried out for the New Orleans Saints, but she too was cut from the team. And in 1987, a woman named Pam Beesley attempted to join the Los Angeles Raiders, but she was not offered a contract.

So while there have been a few isolated attempts by women to play in the NFL since the ban was put in place, none have been successful. As it stands today, females are not allowed to play in the NFL.

1960-1980

The first female player in the NFL was Denise Long, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1963 preseason. In 1965, Marshawn Johnson was the first woman to appear in an NFL game when she was a bye-week replacement for an injured player on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, it wasn’t until 1970 that a woman played an entire season in the NFL. That year, Sarah Fuller became the first female to play a full season when she joined the New Orleans Saints. She played in six games and had one reception for six yards.

In 1971, Melissa Belote Ripley became the first woman to score in an NFL game when she converted a PAT for the Washington Redskins. The following year, Katie Baker became the first woman to play in a regular season game when she suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, it wasn’t until 1974 that a woman played an entire season in the NFL. That year, Gayle Sierens became the first woman to call play-by-play for an NFL game when she did so for a contest between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 1975, Peggy Mitchell was the first woman to coach in the NFL when she served as an assistant for the Cleveland Browns.

1980-2000

In the 1980s, the NFL expanded again, adding the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During this decade, the NFL saw some of its most heated rivalries, including the NFC Championship “Miracle at Candlestick” game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants. The players of this decade included future Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, Howie Long, and Mike Singletary. In 1985, Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula become the winningest head coach in NFL history.

In the early 1990s, two more franchises were added: the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. This decade also saw some fierce competition between talented quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Steve Young. The Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years (1992-1995), cementing their reputation as one of the NFL’s most dominant teams. Other notable players from this era include Reggie White, Emmitt Smith, Bruce Smith, and Shannon Sharpe.

2000-present

In recent years, the NFL has seen a shift in its demographics. The league is now seeing an influx of players from different backgrounds and countries. This is due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.

One of the most notable changes has been the rise in female participation. In 2000, the NFL launched its first official women’s league, the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). The WFA consists of 10 teams from across the United States, with each team playing an 8-game season.

In 2007, the NFL introduced its first ever female player into an official game. Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game when she was selected as a line judge for a preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.

As of 2019, there are still no females playing in the NFL. However, there have been a number of women who have played in other professional football leagues, such as Sam Gordon in the United Football League (UFL) and Lauren Silberman in the FXFL.

Women in the NFL

The National Football League has been a male-dominated sport since its inception in 1920. However, women have been slowly but surely encroaching on what was once an exclusively male preserve. In the last few years, there have been a number of women who have made headlines for their involvement in the sport.

Pre-1920

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.

In 1920, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was formed. The APFA changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later. The NFL made its first foray into Europe in 1951 with a regular season game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, played at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The NFL awarded its first franchise to Dallas in 1960. After several other failed attempts, an all-female professional football league began play in 2003, with eight teams playing a limited schedule.

In January 1920, the first American Professional Football Association was formed in Canton, Ohio. Jim Thorpe was elected president. Representatives of eleven teams were present at the meeting: Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Clevelan

1920-1940

In the early 1920s, a woman named Lora Warner played on a men’s professional football team called the New York Brickley Giants. She was one of the first women to play in a pro game. A few years later, another woman named Peggy Johnston played for a team in California. She was actually the team’s head coach as well as a player!

In the 1930s, a woman named Bea Arthur played for the Hollywood Stars. She was one of the first women to play in a pro game that was broadcast on radio. In 1934, she also became the first woman to score a touchdown in a pro game.

Despite these early pioneers, women were not really welcome in the NFL until 1940 when Sarah Patrick joined the Los Angeles Rams as their head trainer. She was also one of the first women to hold a coaching position in the NFL.

1940-1960

In the early days of the National Football League (NFL), there were no formal rules banning women from playing. In fact, a woman named Stella Walsh even played in exhibition games for the Cleveland Browns in the late 1940s. However, by the early 1960s, it had become clear that women were not welcome in the league. In 1960, Peggy Simpson tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles, but she was told that she could not play because she was a woman. After Simpson filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the NFL finally implemented a rule explicitly banning women from playing in the league.

1960-1980

In 1960, Kathy Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered competitor. In 1967, she was nearly ejected from the race by an outraged official who disagreed with her gender eligibility, but Switzer persevered and completed the race. Today, women compete in the Boston Marathon on an equal basis with men.

The same can’t be said for women in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently no female players in the NFL, and there are no clear plans to change that anytime soon.

The NFL’s stance on female players has been consistent for many years. In a 1979 article from The New York Times, then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle is quoted as saying that “the game is too rough for [women].” He also said that he didn’t think “there are any women out there who are capable of playing professional football” at that time.

Since then, the league has made some concessions for female fans and employees, but it has remained firm in its belief that the game is not meant for women to play.

In recent years, a few women have been given opportunities to try out for NFL teams, but none have been successful in making a roster. In 2012, Lauren Silbert became the first woman to participate in an NFL Regional Scouting Combine. She was one of 42 receivers invited to participate, but she did not receive a contract offer from any team.

In 2015, Sarah Christiansen participated in another Regional Scouting Combine as a kicker. She was one of 16 kickers invited to participate, but she did not receive a contract offer from any team either.

The most successful female player in NFL history is Kathy Hedlund, who played two games as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers in 1987 while filling in for injured players on the team’s roster. She did not catch any passes during her time with the Packers and was later released by the team.

1980-2000

From the very beginning, there have been women playing football. Female football players would often play in exhibition games during halftime or before the big game. In the early 1900s, a semi-pro team called the New York Bloomer Girls even toured around playing games against male teams.

The first woman to play in a college game was Mary Garber, who played as a placekicker for Wake Forest in 1977. In 1985, Liz Gorman became the first woman to play in a professional game when she signed with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL (United States Football League).

Unfortunately, there are currently noFemale football players in the NFL (National Football League), but there are a few women who have played in other professional men’s leagues. In 2001, Katie Hnida became the first woman to score in a college football game when she kicked two extra points for New Mexico against Texas State.

In 2003, Jen Welter became the first woman to play in a men’s professional football league when she suited up for the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League (IFL). In 2015, Sarah Fuller made history when she became the first woman to play in a Power Five Conference game as a member of Vanderbilt’s kicking unit against Missouri.

2000-present

In 2000, the publication of a book titled “On the Edge” by Michael Lewis brought to light the activities and accomplishments of the first female placekicker in NFL history, Sarah Thomas. After reading about her journey, many young girls began to dream of one day playing in the NFL just like their male counterparts.

In 2002, the NFL hired its first full-time female coach, Jennifer Welter. She was a part-time assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys during their offseason training camp and preseason games. In 2015, Katie Sowers became the second full-time female assistant coach in the NFL when she was hired by the San Francisco 49ers. Amy Trask, CEO of the Oakland Raiders from 1997 to 2013, was also a trailblazer for women in football management.

In 2016, Stephanie Jojokian became the first female head coach of an all-male professional football team when she was hired by the Washington Redskins to lead their cheerleading squad. That same year, Lauren Silberman made history as the first woman to ever try out for an NFL team when she attempted to qualify for a kicking position with the New York Jets. Although she did not make the team, her participation paved the way for other women who aspire to play in the NFL someday.

The number of women working in various positions within NFL organizations has been slowly but steadily increasing over the years. In 2017, six women were hired as full-time assistant coaches throughout different NFL teams. This marked a new record for female representation among coaching staffs in America’s professional football league. The 2018 season saw an even bigger increase, with eleven women filling positions as either full-time or part-time assistant coaches across different teams.

As of 2019, there are currently two female officials working within the NFL — Sarah Thomas and Maia Chaka — both of whom serve as line judges. This marks a significant increase from previous years, as no women had officiated NFL games as recently as 2017.

While there is still not nearly enough gender diversity among players, coaches, or officials at any level of professional football ,the increasing number of women breaking into previously male-dominated roles is encouraging and suggests that further progress will be made in years to come .

Conclusion

Based on the research that was conducted, it appears that there is no official rule stating that females are not allowed to play in the NFL. However, there has never been a female player in the NFL, which suggests that there is an unspoken rule against it. There are also no female officials in the NFL. There are many theories as to why this is the case, but the most likely explanation is that the NFL is a traditional and conservative league that has been slow to change and adapt over the years.