Super Bowl is right around the corner, and all the hype is already in full flow. The NFL always produced some thrilling matches to watch, but one thing has been and will always be missing, female players.
One big question to the authorities and even to the audience, when will there be a female NFL? Stereotyping the sport and restraining it to only one gender will damage it today or in the coming years. Females can partake in almost all the other sports and even in betting. FanDuel Super Bowl’s Moneyline Odds can make it easier to place calculated bets. If women can play all the sports, why not a female NFL?
Equality and fair chance will make it really difficult for NFL to operate with just men. We all have seen crazy female football fans, and all we need is to channel that enthusiasm into the sport.
Once female players start taking risks and responsibilities on a football field, it will change the form of the NFL. There is nothing special a man does on the field that a woman can’t do. If a player with a short height and a normal weight can take brutal hits, why not women?
Is there any female football league?
Women have attempted to play football with men numerous times, Luverne Toad Wise being the first. There were several attempts each year from 1971 to 2000 to play with men, except in 1979 and 1998, which shows women are interested in playing and men are willing to share the field.
The WPFL, which lasted only eight seasons before ending in 2007 because only one team was left to compete, is one example of a failed attempt to start a women’s league where women play against other women. A few women’s leagues still exist, such as the IWFL. It was founded in 2000 and now boasts 51 teams broken out by tiers. However, even after surviving for more than a decade, there have been no efforts toward getting women into the NFL.
It brings us to a solution that women and men play in the same team and share the same glory of the NFL. With time, we will get to know if there is any possibility in it, but for the time being, we know how successful women coaches are doing in the league.
Female presence in the NFL
Jennifer King – It’s the first time in NFL history that a female African American assistant coach has held the position. Also, she becomes the second woman to work as a position coach in the NFL.
Lori Locust – This year will be her third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Assisted by Defensive Line Coach Kacy Rodgers, they guided a Super Bowl-winning defense.
Sophia Lewin – Former Bills assistant Sophia Lewin participated in the NFL Women’s Careers in Football Forum and worked with the team during their summer training camp.
Emily Zaler – she was the Broncos’ first female full-time coach when in 2020, she joined the team as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow program. She assists in the Strength and Conditioning department in all areas.
Maral Javadifer – She works as assistant strength & conditioning coach or physical therapist for the Buccaneers. It’s her third season as the coach.
Callie Brownson – A former American football player and coach, Callie Brownson is the Chief of Staff of the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. She was the first-ever NCAA Division 1 coach.
As a coach, there is respect and acceptance for female presence. All it needs is channelizing in the right direction and allowing them to play. Indeed, the work needs to be done, and nothing is better than starting in high school and working the way up like any other player. Female players need to pick the ball early and let talented scouts do their job because there is no direct entry to the NFL. Once this happens, it will be monumental.
