How Many Female Officials Are In The NFL?

As the 2019 NFL season begins, we take a look at how many female officials are in the league.

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The National Football League (NFL) has been male-dominated since its inception. For the most part, only men have been head coaches, quarterbacks, and officials. These days, however, that is beginning to change. In the past few years, the NFL has hired several female assistant coaches and even a handful of full-time female officials. It is a sign that the league is slowly but surely becoming more inclusive.

So far, the NFL has hired seven full-time female officials. These women are not token hires; they are all highly qualified and have years of experience officiating football games at lower levels. They are also forging new paths for other women who want to officiate in the NFL. With each passing year, it seems more likely that we will see even more female officials in the NFL.

The Number of Female Officials in the NFL

According to a recent report, the NFL has increased the number of female officials. In the past, there have been only a handful of female officials in the NFL. This number has increased over the years, and the NFL has made a concerted effort to increase the number of female officials.

How many female officials are in the NFL?

The NFL has had female officials in the past, but as of the 2019 season, there are no full-time female officials. Sarah Thomas became the league’s first full-time female official in 2015, but she is not currently working for the NFL.

In 2019, the NFL hired its first full-time female coach, Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers. Andrea Krause is also a full-time assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens. These hires suggest that the NFL is committed to increasing diversity among its coaching staff, but there is still room for improvement when it comes to hiring female officials.

What is the percentage of female officials in the NFL?

There are currently 107 female officials in the NFL, which is 12.6% of the total number of officials. The NFL has made a commitment to increase the number of female officials, and have done so by hiring 21 new female officials this year. While the percentage of female officials is still relatively low, it is slowly but surely increasing.

The Reasons for the Low Number of Female Officials in the NFL

There are only a handful of female officials in the NFL. This is surprising when you consider that women make up half of the population. There are a number of reasons for this low number. One reason is that most officials are former players, and the majority of players are male. Another reason is that the NFL has a male-dominated culture. Some people believe that the NFL is not doing enough to encourage female officials.

Lack of interest

It’s no secret that the NFL has been slow to add women to its officiating ranks. There are currently only four full-time female officials, and only one of them is on the field for games. The rest work in the league office or as fill-ins when needed.

The low number of female officials is due in part to a lack of interest from women. According to a report from USA Today, only 7% of officials registered with the National Association of Sports Officials are women.

There are also fewer women playing football at the collegiate level, which means there are fewer women eligible to become officials. According to a report from the Huffington Post, only 6% of football players in the NCAA are women.

The low number of female officials is also due in part to the fact that officiating is a notoriously difficult profession to break into. There are only so many spots available, and most officials start working their way up through the ranks of lower levels of football, such as high school or small college games.

The NFL has made some efforts to increase the number of female officials, such as hosting officiating clinics for women and partnering with an organization called “Game Changer” that helps place female officials at higher levels of football. However, it has been slow to make significant changes.

Lack of experience

NFL officiating is a notoriously difficult profession to break into. There are only a handful of full-time positions available, and each year hundreds of officials vie for those jobs. The vast majority of officials in the NFL are men, and that has been the case for many years.

There are a number of reasons for the lack of female officials in the NFL. One is simply that there are not many women with experience officiating football games at the highest level. Women have only begun to gain a foothold in college football officiating in recent years, and there are still relatively few who have worked at the highest levels of the sport.

Another reason is that NFL officiating is an extremely demanding job, both physically and mentally. It can be very difficult to balance the demands of the job with other commitments, such as family and work. This is especially true for women, who are more likely than men to be balancing multiple roles and responsibilities.

Finally, NFL officiating can be a very stressful and even dangerous job. Officials must be able to keep their composure in high-pressure situations and make quick decisions that can often have a big impact on the outcome of a game. This can be difficult for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for women, who may not be used to working in such an intense environment.

Discrimination

The low number of female officials in the NFL is most likely due to discrimination. According to a report by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, as of 2019, only 4% of NFL officials were women.

This is despite the fact that women have been officiating football games at all levels for many years. In the early days of the sport, women were actually the only ones officiating high school and college games.

It wasn’t until 1959 that the first male official was hired by a college football program. And it wasn’t until 1967 that the first woman was hired to officiate a game in what is now known as the National Football League.

So why are there so few female officials in the NFL today? The simple answer is discrimination. There is no other explanation for why women make up such a small percentage of officials in a sport that they have been involved in for so long.

The Consequences of the Low Number of Female Officials in the NFL

There are only a handful of female officials in the NFL. This is due to the lack of opportunities for women to officiate at the professional level. As a result, the NFL is not doing enough to promote gender diversity among its officials. This needs to change.

Limited role models

The low number of female officials in the NFL can have a number of consequences, both for aspiring female officials and for the league itself.

The most obvious consequence is that there are few role models for aspiring female officials to look up to. This can make it more difficult for women to get into officiating, and may also limit the number of women who stay in the profession. In addition, the low number of female officials may make it more difficult for women who are already officials to be promoted or recognized for their accomplishments.

The low number of female officials can also have an impact on the quality of officiating in the NFL. Studies have shown that diversity in teams leads to better decision-making and creativity, and that includes officiating crews. With few female officials, NFL crews are less likely to benefit from these advantages.

In addition, the low number of female officials may send a signal to young women that they are not welcome in football, which could discourage them from playing the sport or pursuing careers in officiating. This could have a long-term impact on the quality of play in the NFL, as well as on its ability to attract and retain top talent.

Limited opportunities

There are currently only six full-time female officials in the NFL. While the league has made strides in recent years to improve gender diversity, the number of female officials remains low compared to their male counterparts.

This lack of gender diversity can have a number of consequences for both the league and its female officials. For example, limited opportunities for female officials can mean that they are less likely to be promoted to higher-level positions. Additionally, female officials may feel isolated and face additional challenges when working in a male-dominated profession.

Despite these challenges, female officials have made a significant impact on the NFL. Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official in 2015, and since then she has officiated two Super Bowls. As more women become involved in officiating, they will help to change the culture of the NFL and make it more inclusive for everyone.

Conclusion

Female officials are still a rarity in the NFL. In the 2017 season, there were only eight female officials out of a total of 121 officiating crews. This means that female officials made up just 6.6% of all NFL officials. The NFL has been working to increase the number of female officials, but progress has been slow. In order to make further progress, the NFL needs to do more to recruit and retain female officials.