How Many Female Referees In The NFL?

As of the 2019 season, there are a total of 21 female referees in the NFL. This is up from the 18 who officiated during the 2018 season.

The Number of Female NFL Referees

The National Football League has seen an increase in the number of female referees in recent years. This is a positive trend as it shows that the NFL is becoming more gender-inclusive. As of the 2019 season, there are seven female referees in the NFL. This is up from zero in 2006. Let’s take a closer look at the number of female referees in the NFL.

The NFL’s stance on female referees

The NFL has been publicly supportive of the idea of hiring female officials, with Commissioner Roger Goodell saying in 2012 that the league “certainly [does] believe that we could have women officiate our game.”

In 2015, the NFL hired Sarah Thomas as its first full-time female official. Key & Peele made a sketch about a male official who was uncomfortable with the idea of a woman officiating an NFL game.

The following year, in 2016, Maia Chaka became the first African-American woman to officiate an NFL game when she was assigned to the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2019, two more women were hired as full-time officials: down judge Ashley Harper and line judge Sarah Fuller. Fuller made history in 2020 when she became the first woman to ever referee a Power Five college football game, and also became the first woman to ever score in a Power Five college football game.

The number of female NFL referees

The National Football League (NFL) has a total of 121 referees. Of these 121 referees, only 7 are women. This means that female referees make up only 5.8% of the NFL referee workforce. The NFL does not have any full-time female officials, although it does have some part-time female officials who work as game-day officials.

This low number of female officials is in line with the low number of female officials in other professional sports leagues. For example, in Major League Baseball (MLB), there are zero full-time female umpires and only 2 part-time umpires (1.6% of all MLB umpires). In the National Basketball Association (NBA), there is only 1 full-time female referee out of a total of 63 referees (1.6%).

The lack of diversity among NFL officials is something that has been raised as a concern by players and fans alike. In 2017, then-NFL player Anquan Boldin called for the league to do more to increase the number of minority officials, including women. And in 2019, New York Jets offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum Jr. tweeted that he was “sickened” by the fact that there were no full-time female officials in the NFL.

The NFL has said that it is committed to increasing the number of minority officials, including women. In 2017, the league launched its ” Rooney Rule” which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every open head coaching and senior football operations position. The rule named after late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney who was a champion for diversity has been credited with increasing the number of minority head coaches and senior football executives in the NFL. However, the rule does not apply to officiating positions and it is unclear what steps, if any, the league is taking to increase the number of female officials beyond encouraging part-time officiating opportunities.

The Reasons For The Low Number of Female NFL Referees

Despite the increased participation of women in football at all levels in recent years, the number of female referees in the NFL remains low. There are a number of factors that contribute to this, including the pay discrepancy between NFL referees and other officials, the lack of female role models, and the perception that football is a ‘man’s game.’ Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

The NFL’s hiring process

The National Football League (NFL) has had just nine female officials in its 100-year history. There are currently only two full-time female referees: Sarah Thomas, who joined the NFL in 2015, and Dale Scott, who retired after the 2017 season.

The low number of female NFL referees is due in part to the NFL’s hiring process. The league does not actively recruit female officials and has been slow to embrace women in leadership positions. In addition, the NFL has a long history of male bonding and gender discrimination, which has made it difficult for women to break into the league.

The lack of diversity among NFL officials was brought into the spotlight during the 2016 season when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Some critics say that the low number of female and minority officials is one reason why the NFL has been slow to address these issues.

The league has taken some steps to diversify its officiating ranks in recent years, but much more needs to be done. The NFL must make a concerted effort to recruit and retain female and minority officials if it wants to truly reflect the diversity of its players and fans.

The lack of qualified female referees

In order for a referee to officiate an NFL game, they must first go through a rigorous training and development process. Not many women have the experience or qualifications that are required to become an NFL referee.

The majority of officials in the NFL have previous experience refereeing college football games. According to an article published by CBS Sports, as of 2013, there were only 27 active female officials in the NCAA. That number has most likely increased in recent years, but it is still a very small pool of qualified applicants.

In order for someone to become an NFL official, they must first go through the schools’ training program. There are very few women who have the experience or qualifications that are required to become an NFL official. The majority of officials in the NFL have previous experience refereeing college football games.

The lack of qualified female candidates is one of the main reasons why there are so few female referees in the NFL.

The Implications of The Low Number of Female NFL Referees

Out of the 121 NFL referees, only eight are female. In a league that is majority male, this begs the question: why the low number of female referees? Studies show that when women are given the opportunity to officiate in a male-dominated sport, the level of play improves. So, what implications does the low number of female referees in the NFL have?

The impact on the NFL’s image

The NFL has been under scrutiny in recent years for its lack of diversity, and the low number of female referees is just another example of this problem.

Not only does this lack of diversity hurt the NFL’s image, but it also raises concerns about whether or not the league is doing enough to ensure that its officials are fair and impartial. If the vast majority of NFL referees are white men, it’s possible that they may be more likely to make decisions that favor the home team or the more popular team.

This could lead to fans feeling like the outcome of games is rigged, which would ultimately damage the NFL’s reputation. In order to avoid this, the league needs to make a concerted effort to increase the number of female referees. This will not only improve its image, but it will also help to ensure that all games are officiated fairly.

The impact on female fans of the NFL

The National Football League has been coming under fire in recent years for its lack of diversity among its referees. In particular, the low number of female referees in the NFL has been singled out as an issue that needs to be addressed.

The impact of this lack of diversity is felt most keenly by female fans of the NFL. For many women, the sight of a female referee on the field would be a welcome and empowering sight. It would send the message that the NFL is a sport for everyone, not just for men.

Unfortunately, the reality is that there are very few female referees in the NFL. In fact, out of the 119 officials currently employed by the NFL, only two are women. This means that women are vastly outnumbered by men when it comes to officiating NFL games.

This lack of representation can have a number of negative implications for female fans of the NFL. For one, it can make it difficult for women to feel like they belong in the sport. It can also make it harder for women to relate to and connect with male officials, which can lead to feeling alienated from the sport as a whole. Additionally, this disparity can lead to perceptions that women are not as competent as men when it comes to officiating football games.

The low number of female referees in the NFL is an issue that needs to be addressed. The league needs to take steps to increase its diversity among officials, and make sure that women have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in officiating games. Only then will female fans feel truly included and respected within the sport.