The National Football League is one of a kind. According to a Gallup poll collected in 2017, [American] football is the most popular spectator sport in the United States, with 37% of pollsters selecting it as their favorite sport to watch. Starting in September and concluding in February with the Super Bowl, people come together every Sunday to cheer for their team. But the sport does not come without its flaws, including the fact that there is a lack of women representation among the coaching staff. While this issue is prevalent among all-male professional sports leagues in the United States, the NFL is unique in that there is no women counterpart, which has historically kept women in the role of spectator.
How Has Women Coaching in the NFL Progressed?
Recent years have proven to be groundbreaking for women coaches and referees in the NFL, albeit long overdue. According to a recent CNBC article, as of the 2021-2022 season, a record 12 women are holding coaching roles. It’s important to note that what’s considered a “coach” in the NFL may be different from the typical sense of the word. NFL teams often have several coaches and many members of the coaching staff, such as assistants.
One of the most notable women coaches in the league is Katie Sowers, who was hired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 as an assistant offensive coach. She went on to become the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl when the 49ers made their championship run against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. While Sowers left the 49ers in early 2021, she is not alone in her historic achievements for women coaches in the NFL. Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first two women to win an NFL title as coaches after the Bucs won the title in February 2021.
What Does the Data Say About Women Representation in NFL Coaching?
Consistent efforts have expanded the prevalence of women coaches in the NFL, most notably in the Women’s Career in Football Forum. This event began in 2017 and aimed to get women into coaching positions in football. According to Forbes, the WCFF secured 174 job opportunities for women in the NFL, which led to 21 hirings in the league. Additionally, Sam Rapoport, the NFL’s senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, 83% of those women who secured a position were women of color.
In addition to the increase in coaching opportunities of women in the NFL, according to Forbes, in 2020 roughly 38.2% of league office roles in the NFL were held by women, which was an all-time high.
Seeing women coaches of all backgrounds on one of the world’s biggest professional sports stages is so essential to the diversity of the sport. Football is arguably the most beloved sport in America and certainly the most popular for fans to watch. The sport attracts fans of all backgrounds, including many women. We need to celebrate and continue to expand the number of female coaches in the NFL each year.
Even as short as a decade ago, many people wouldn’t have thought twice about the fact that many, if not all, the teams in the league had no female coaches on their staff. However, as the years have gone by, women have “broken the glass ceiling” of NFL coaches. While there is still a need for large improvement, we can appreciate the league’s progression concerning women coaches over recent years. The future still looks bright for women coaches in the NFL.
