Are There Any Females in the NFL?
Contents
Are there any females in the NFL? This is a question that many people have been asking lately. While there are no female players in the NFL, there are a number of female coaches and executives.
Introduction
Women have been playing football for almost as long as the sport has existed. In fact, the first recorded game of female football took place in 1892 in England. However, women’s football has always been relegated to the sidelines, both literally and figuratively. While there are a number of professional women’s football leagues in existence, none of them are as popular or well-known as the National Football League (NFL).
The question of whether there are any females in the NFL is a controversial one. While there are no women currently playing in the NFL, there have been a few who have tried to break into the league. The most recent and notable example is Sarah Thomas, who became the first female to officiate an NFL game in 2015. However, while Thomas’ achievement is impressive, it is important to remember that she is not a player.
Women in the NFL
In the National Football League, females are not players, but there are many women who work in front offices, as broadcasters, and as officials. According to a 2016 report from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, nearly 34 percent of the NFL’s workforce is female, up from less than 27 percent in 2010.
Women in the NFL Coaching Staff
Since the NFL was established in 1920, there has been a long-standing tradition of men coaching football teams. However, in recent years, women have begun to enter the coaching ranks in the NFL. The following is a list of women who are currently coaching in the NFL:
-Theresa Knott – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-Kelly Dettmer – Green Bay Packers
-Lisa King – Minnesota Vikings
– Heather Sanders – Indianapolis Colts
While these women are still in the minority, their presence is a sign of progress for female coaches in the NFL. With more and more women breaking into the coaching ranks, it is likely that we will see even more female coaches in the future.
Women in the NFL Refereeing
In April of 2012, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game when she worked a preseason contest between the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers.
Thomas had been a college football referee for several years before being hired by the NFL. She is one of only a handful of female officials working at any level of organized football.
While female officials are still relatively rare in the NFL, they are becoming more common in other levels of football. In 2014, Lauren Silberman became the first woman to officiate a college football game. Silberman had previously worked as an official in women’s flag football leagues.
Lysa Clutter is another prominent female official. She has worked as an on-field official for high school games in Ohio since 2009 and has also officiated multiple college games.
In 2015, Jen Welter became the first woman to coach in the NFL when she was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as a training camp/preseason assistant coach working with inside linebackers. Welter had previously coached men’s professional tackle football teams in Texas and New York. She also played running back for the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League, becoming the first woman to play non-kicking positions in a men’s professional tackle football league.
Women in the NFL Playing
There are currently no women playing in the NFL. In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game, and in 2019 she became the first full-time female official.
The most recent woman to try out for an NFL team was Lauren Silberman, who unsuccessfully tried out for the New York Jets in 2013. There have been a handful of other women who have tried out for NFL teams over the years, but none have been successful.
There are currently no women playing in the NFL, but that could change in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are currently no female players in the NFL. However, there have been a handful of women who have played in the league in the past, most notably Sarah Thomas who became the first woman to officiate an NFL game in 2015. There is also a growing movement to promote female participation in the sport at all levels, from youth leagues up to the professional ranks. So while there are no females currently playing in the NFL, it is certainly possible that this could change in the future.