Let me set the stage for you.
I'm watching preseason football last weekend and the halftime show had just started. Two sports analysts were sitting behind an ESPN desk. One was a male and the other was a female. That sounds like your usual halftime report, right? Now picture my face when one of my family members nonchalantly commented that women should not be allowed to cover football. If you imagined something along the lines of Kevin from "Home Alone" slapping his hands against his face and screaming, you would be correct.
While many things about this statement didn't sit right with me, two things in particular were really troublesome. The first one is that this family member identifies as a woman herself. When I asked her to elaborate on her opinion, she argued that women do not play in the NFL and therefore should not be commentators.
If you use this logic, more than half of the men you see regularly on sports networks would not have the job they currently do. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Stephen A. Smith has never played in the WNBA (or the NBA for that matter), and he frequently covers the league without anybody questioning his qualifications.
The second thing that really bothered me is that my 10-year-old sister was in the room when the comment was made. Sports have always been a large part of who I am. If I had heard those words when I was her age, I would've been totally bummed out at the thought of not being able to do what I loved simply because I'm a female.
These are the things that keep me up at night.
For these reasons, this won't be your typical sports article. Yes, this means I'm not going to summarize the Olympics for you or talk about "Deflategate" for the millionth time. Instead, I'm going to put the spotlight on some of the incredible women who have made the NFL a stronger league.
If you've watched a football game in the last 20 years on ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox Sports, ABC, or CBS, then you have seen the legend that is Suzy Kolber. As one of the original ESPN 2 anchors, her name and face quickly became synonymous with the National Football League. I remember watching Kolber interview players and coaches on the sidelines with such admiration. I thought she was so cool.
Not only did Kolber pave the way for broadcasters like Erin Andrews and Samantha Ponder, but she left her mark on nearly every corner of the NFL. While acting as a reporter and producer, she is one of the people who helped make Sunday Night Football (and eventually Monday Night Football, following the loss of the great Stuart Scott) the most watched program in cable television history. Knowledgeable and passionate, Kolber is a perfect example of why women belong in sports.
While Kolber has been associated with football for decades, Katie Nolan is relatively new to the sports world and is already making a huge impact. Her show, "Garbage Time with Katie Nolan", premiered on Fox Sports 1 in 2015 and she's already an Emmy winner. If you want an idea of what her show is like, think "The Daily Show" but with sports and women. It's basically all of my favorite things rolled into one show.
In addition to the unique format of "Garbage Time", Nolan really knows her stuff and chooses to focus on topics that most sports broadcasters ignore. While Skip Bayless screams at people who disagree with him, Katie Nolan frequently discusses the inequality that both female athletes and fans are subjected to. As someone who has watched far too many episodes of "First Take", I'm really happy that a new generation of sports fans will grow up with a role model like Nolan.
The last person I want to talk about is literally a game changer. In 2015, Jen Welter became the first female coach in the league. As an inside linebacker coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Welter made NFL history and inspired people across the country to follow their dreams. If you think that's cool, Welter isn't just helping athletes improve. She played as a running back for the Texas Revolution (in a previously all male league which she eventually coached) for 14 seasons. There's really no other way to say it: Jen Welter is a boss.
In recent years, young female football players like Sam Gordon have been making national news. If it weren't for women like Suzy Kolber, Katie Nolan and Jen Welter, girls like my sister might not be aware that they can do amazing things in work environments that are typically dominated by men. Not only are these women capable of being broadcasters and athletes, but they are showing the world that hard work and dedication precede success.
Women belong behind ESPN desks, on the sidelines, and on the field because gender has nothing to do with one's ability to comprehend sports. If you love something that doesn't fall within the ridiculous gender roles of our society, don't give up on it. There are role models out there and if they can break walls down, you can too.
The NFL has inspired countless boys to play, coach, and announce since 1920. I'm proud to live in a world where girls can be inspired to do the same.
