When it comes to the National Football League (NFL), there has always been an assumption that a woman would never actually take part in a game. After all, such a large and physical sport would not be seen as something for a woman to ever excel in.I remember when this question was asked to me the first time, my initial thought was that it was a topic too far-fetched to ever come true. But in the past couple of years, there has been some rumblings and discussions on the topic that have piqued my curiosity.
Would a female NFL player ever exist? The idea of a woman playing in the NFL has been something I’ve thought about a lot, especially since the recent push for equality in sports. So I decided to give it a try and do my own research into the topic.
First, I looked into the history of women playing football. I was shocked to find out that female athletes were actually playing organized football as long ago as 1895! That’s a lot earlier than I expected. Then I started to think about why Female Football had not really caught on in the past century.
A few reasons came to mind. One was the obvious physical differences that exist between men and women, such as stamina, power, and size. Also, there were cultural stigmas that need to be overcome. And, of course, the evolution of passing and blocking techniques and strategies can take years to learn and perfect.
There are a lot of obstacles that need to be crossed before a female NFL player can take the field, but as I dug deeper, I was surprised to find out that there have been several women who have had success playing in semi-professional leagues before making the jump to the NFL.
One of these women is the former WFL player, Sarah Thomas. Sarah made history when she was hired by the NFL as a full-time official in 2015. This was a huge milestone for women’s sports and a great show of NFL support for gender equality in the league. After all, it’s hard to imagine a woman playing in the NFL if there is not even an interest to hire them as officials.
This gave me more hope that one day the same could be said about Female Football players. Seeing women taking on bigger roles in the NFL opened my eyes to the possibility. It’s encouraging to see the NFL making steps toward gender equality and hopefully one day we will see a female NFL player on the field.
In the past couple of years alone, there have been a handful of advocacy campaigns and initiatives to push for greater representation of women in the NFL. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Rams have each held events to tackle the gender gap and expand opportunities for women in sports. There’s even a Women’s National Football League being created so that women can join it and continue to play without having to break through the barriers of the NFL.
At this point, I think it’s safe to say that the possibility of a female NFL player does exist. It will take a lot more time, money, effort, and commitment from the league and its members to bring the dream to reality, but with current support from the NFL, I know that it’s achievable.
For example, more and more girls are joining youth football programs around the country and leagues like the WFL are pushing for higher standards and better opportunities for female athletes. With the right training and support, these girls could one day take the same field as male players and be a part of the NFL.
My belief is that in the future the NFL will present opportunities for women to compete on the same level with men. We may not see a female NFL player soon, but with the continued support and resources from the league and its members, I think it’s just a matter of time before it happens. There has been so much progress towards gender equality in sports in the past few years that I truly believe in the possibility.