Football and females:
More women finding work in the NFL.
You can count the number of women working on the field in the NFL on one hand, and four of them were hired in recent months. Three are athletic trainers. One a coach. And the other a referee. These hires are historic, a sign of changing times, but the reaction to their presence is mixed — from supportive, to tolerant, to indifferent — in the Green Bay Packers locker room.
“I think it’s great for the game,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of women working as trainers, officials and agents in the league. “I think you saw basketball doing it. I think the more women we can get helping out our sport, the better.”
Just a few months ago, the few women who did work in the league were generally off the field.
Linebacker Sam Barrington hired one of the few female agents in the NFL, Christina Phillips, because he thought she would help him the most. Agents fill many roles while working with players besides landing a contract; an agent can be a financial planner, a sounding board, a voice of reason.
“The thing about her, she always kept me straight,” said Barrington.
“A lot of the these male agents, they kiss some of these guy’s butts. The next thing you know, you have an X amount of guys who spend time in the league and they don’t turn into a man. They’re still that senior in college, six years into the league. I was honest with myself. I wanted to keep growing. I wanted to keep maturing.
“Since 2012, when I met Christina, I took it serious. I’ve grown. She’s done what an agent is supposed to do: help a player grow, help put a player in a positive position.”
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter as an assistant coaching intern working with the inside linebackers during training camp and preseason, making her the first woman to hold any coaching position in the NFL.
When the season starts, Sarah Thomas will become the first female official in NFL history.
On the business side, women have already found influential roles in the NFL.
Denise de Bartolo York is co-chairman of the San Francisco 49ers and with her leadership has a vibrant community outreach program. Charlotte Jones Anderson is the executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys.
Katie Blackburn, executive vice president of the Cincinnati Bengals, granddaughter of legendary coach Paul Brown and daughter of Bengals owner Mike Brown, oversees all aspects of team business from marketing and ticket sales to contract negotiations. Blackburn also serves as chair of the NFL’s Super Bowl advisory committee.
Owner and vice chairman Rita Benson Le Blanc oversees the financial and civil impact of the Saints in New Orleans.
Other women, usually wives of team owners, are prominent in advertising or community relations.
And Susan Finco of De Pere just became the first woman elected to the Green Bay Packers executive committee.
The NBA has taken the lead among the major pro sports leagues in hiring women. This summer, Becky Hammon was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs and coached in the summer league. Lauren Holtkamp is a referee, following pioneers Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer.
A few Packers said they knew there would be players who aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of working with women, even if they wouldn’t express that opinion publicly.
But for the most part, the Packers who were asked were supportive, or at least accepting.
“Women don’t play football, so from that perspective, the respect level from a lot of guys probably diminishes for the ref,” said Packers linebacker Mike Neal. “At the same time, as a referee, all you have to do is understand the game. She can make all the right calls.
“Female agents, females in the front office, I don’t see a problem with it. God made us equal, women should have the opportunities (the same as) a man.
“As long as you understand the game, I don’t have a problem with it. If it makes you uneasy, that’s your personal problem.”
We do know this: The NFL fan base includes millions of women.
The NFL said 44.9 million women watched Super Bowl XLVIII, making it the mostwatched show among women of all time. More than 93 million women watched the 2013 NFL season, the league said, and 46% of NFL fans are women.
“It’s a performance-based league,” said backup quarterback Scott Tolzien. “Whether you’re with the equipment staff or the training staff, it’s a very elite professional field, so if they’re good enough, then they deserve it. But — no different than me — if I’m not performing to my level, they’re going to find someone else. It shouldn’t matter, black, white, male, female, it’s a very competitive world out there.
“It’s survival of the fittest. I could care less who is doing the job, as long as they’re doing it well.”
Others, especially the youngest players, seemed to wonder why women in the NFL was a big deal.
“I play football,” said rookie quarterback Brett Hundley. “I have nothing against a woman ref, male ref, it’s not my call. If they pick them to be a trainer, to work in the front office, if they trust them, then why shouldn’t I?”