Is There A Girl In The NFL?

Is There A Girl In The NFL?

Despite the fact that women have been playing football for years, the NFL has never had a female player. Could that be changing soon?

Introduction

No, there is no girl in the NFL. The NFL is a male-only professional American football league.

Women in Professional Football

Women have been playing football for as long as the sport has been around. There are a number of women’s football leagues around the world, but no woman has ever played in the NFL. Let’s take a look at the history of women in football and see if there is a chance we could see a woman in the NFL one day.

Women in the NFL

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of women playing professional football. While the number of women in the NFL is still relatively small, there are a growing number of female players in all levels of the sport.

The NFL has been working to increase the number of women in the league, and they have made progress in recent years. In 2019, the NFL launched a talent development program called “Women’s Careers in Football” to help connect talented female football players with opportunities in the league. The program has had some success, with a handful of women being signed to NFL contracts.

While there are no women currently playing in the NFL, there are several who have played in pre-season games and exhibition games. In 2019, offensive lineman Lauren Silberman became the first woman to play in an NFL game when she appeared in an exhibition game for the New York Jets. She is also believed to be the first woman to ever try out for an NFL team.

There are also a number of women who are involved with NFL teams in other ways, such as coaching and front office positions. Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official in 2015, and she officiated her first Super Bowl game in 2019. Katie Sowers is an offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and she is believed to be the first openly LGBT coach in the NFL. Jennifer Welter was hired by the Cardinals as a coaching intern in 2015, becoming the first woman to hold such a position with an NFL team.

Women in the CFL

There has never been a woman in the NFL, but there have been a few women who have played in the Canadian Football League. In 2006, Melissa Turner became the first woman to play in a CFL regular season game. Turner was a placekicker for the Toronto Argonauts. She played one game for the Argos before being released. In August of 2014, Ashley Medina became the first woman to play quarterback in a CFL regular season game. Medina was a member of the Calgary Stampeders practice squad.

The Future of Women in Professional Football

Women have been playing football for quite some time now, but they have always been relegated to playing in women’s leagues. There are a few women who have played in men’s leagues, but they have always been at a disadvantage. Recently, however, there have been a few women who have been trying to break into the NFL.

The NFL

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 wealthiest professional sport league by revenue, and the sport league with the most valuable teams. 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 advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

In 2017, there were 202 players on NFL active rosters that were female. This was down from 214 in 2016. As of September 2018, there have been no women hired as full-time assistant coaches in the NFL. From 2009 to 2019, Sarah Thomas became the first and only female official referee in NFL history. In August 2019 it was announced that 2 women had been hired as full time assistant coaches: Katie Sowers by the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive assistant and Jennifer King by Washington as an offensive assistant coach/wide receivers coach, making her also Washington’s first African American female coach at any position. There are currently two female placekickers in college football:Becca Longo for Adams State Universityand Toni Harris for Central Methodist University. In 2015 Lauren Silberman became the first woman to try out for an NFL team as a kicker but she Failed to make a field goal during her tryout. In April 2019 Jen Welter became  the first woman to interview for an NFL head coaching job when she interviewed for a position with Arizona Cardinals however she did not receive  the job. She had served as a preseason coaching intern for Arizona in 2015 becoming the first woman ever to hold such a position with an NFL team making her only 1 of only 8 people holding such internships at that time.

Women have been playing flag football since 1932 when Samuel Baugh organized intramural games at Texas Christian University however it would not be until 1998 when Melissa Heppard would play flag football professionally with Orlando Rage of XFLmaking her both theyoungest playerandfirst woman everto play professionallyin anypositionin anycapacitywith anyfootballteamand also finishing her career as XFL’s all time leader in interceptions returnedfor touchdowns with 3 .In 2010 JennieRunning Hawk becamethe first woman everto play on an all men’s tackle footballteam when she suited up for Denton County Broncosof North Texas Football Association however she would never take a snap during any game . In January 2015 Samantha Gordon became an internet sensation known as “SamGordon9” after a videoofher running routesandcatching passeswhile playing Pop Warner wentviral . The nine-year old hadpreviouslybeen featuredon ESPN’s SportsCenteras one of their top ten plays after rushingfor 2 touchdownsand recoveringa fumblefor anothertouchdown all while scoring 9 total touchdownsin one game ,[2] which seta nationalrecordfor mosttouchdowns scoredin amatchupbetween twoteams that each fielded 11 playerseach which stillstandstoday even after other records involving moreplayers havebeen setsince then ]In November 2015less than 2 weeks removedfrom winning theyoungest playerawardat age 13 Katie Sowersbecame theyoungest personage 15to evercoach professional footballwhen she took chargeofan all male teamthat consistedof5th – 7th gradersat OwensboroAthletic ClubYouth FootballTournament appearanceas wellat winninggirls statechampionshipwith her high school alma mater Hesston High Schoolfootball teamwhich she quarterbackedto victory .

The CFL

The Canadian Football League (CFL) has been playing professionally since 1958 and is the highest level of football in Canada. Although the league has been male-dominated, over the past few years there have been several women who have made an impact in the sport. In 2015, the league hired its first female coach, Katherine Switzer, and in 2017, two women were drafted into the league for the first time in history.

The CFL has a lot of talent and is full of highly skilled athletes. It’s only a matter of time before a woman breaks through and plays in the NFL. With more opportunities and support for women in football, we could see a woman playing in the NFL within the next few years.