The National Football League kicked off its regular season this September with a new “first” for women in sports. After starting out in the NFL’s Officiating Development Program, Maia Chaka recently became the first Black female NFL referee. Originally from Rochester, NY, Chaka was a line judge for the first Sunday Night Football game of the season on Sept. 12 between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets.
By Gigi Picard ‘22
Sports Editor
Women have yet again made history in sports, as three women broke a record in the NFL’s 2021 Super Bowl on Feb. 7, 2021. Down Judge (a referee position) Sarah Thomas, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Assistant Defensive Line Coach Lori Locust and Tampa Bay’s Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Maral Javadifar had on-field positions during the 2021 Super Bowl, making this another milestone year for women in the NFL.
Thomas has a history of being a monumental record-breaker in the NFL. In 2015, she earned the position of first full-time female referee. Her barrier-breaking journey began at the college football level, where she was the first woman to officiate a major college football game. Thomas was also the first woman to officiate an NFL playoff game, which took place in 2019 when the Los Angeles Chargers played against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Just four days prior to this year’s Super Bowl, the sports world celebrated the 35th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, the day was signed as a proclamation on Feb. 3, 1987 by former President Ronald Reagan as a way of remembering Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her accomplishments as an athlete and an advocate for equality in women’s sports. Hyman passed away in 1986 as a result of Marfan syndrome.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WSF emphasized “the importance of staying mentally and physically healthy during challenging times.” Its website read, ”Whether virtual[ly] or other, we invite you to safely celebrate NGWSD in your community and to join the Women’s Sports Foundation as we Lead Her Forward in 2021.”
Before the 2021 Super Bowl, the Women’s Sports Foundation tweeted its excitement to watch the three women make sports history.
On Instagram, the NFL posted the following three quotes by Thomas, Javadifar and Locust to celebrate NGWSD:
“It’s just so meaningful. I never set out to be the first in any of this, but knowing the impact that I’m having on not just my daughter but young girls everywhere, women everywhere, when I get on that field, and I take it all in, I know that I’m probably gonna get a little teary eyed,” Thomas said on what it means to be part of the Super Bowl officiating crew.
“I’m grateful for my mom and dad coming here to give their kids an opportunity to flourish and live the American Dream,” Javadifar stated on being a first-generation Iranian American.
The NFL is taking more steps to involve women. Progress began in 1997 when Amy Trask was the first female CEO of an NFL team, the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders. Jen Welter became the first female coach for the NFL in 2015, representing the Arizona Cardinals. Last year, San Francisco 49ers Assistant Offensive Coach Katie Sowers was the first woman to coach during a Super Bowl. The three women who coached and officiated in this year’s Super Bowl set a higher precedent for representation in the NFL to be met and surpassed in the coming years.
