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SPORTS Friday 18 November 2022
Number of women working in the NFL steadily rising

By ROB MAADDI dent of football operations,
AP Pro Football Writer making her the highest-
From the owner’s suite to ranking female executive
the front office to the side- in the NFL. A month later,
line, the number of women Sandra Douglass Morgan
in the NFL is steadily rising. became the first Black fe-
And, they’re here to stay. male president of an NFL
Kalen Jackson was born team when the Las Vegas
into football, one of three Raiders hired her.
daughters for Indianapolis Washington first joined the
Colts owner Jim Irsay. She Bears as an intern in 2021
got her introduction to the after working in recruiting
sport attending community at the University of Illinois.
events. Now, she has a seat She was promoted to scout
at the table for owners’ there are 33 female scouts
meetings. in the NFL later that sum-
Sam Rapoport fell in love mer. In May, she became
with football the first time the Bears player personnel
she held a ball and threw a coordinator, pro scouting.
spiral as a 12-year-old grow- “I feel like it’s a lot of pres-
ing up in Canada. Rapo- sure on me and other fe-
port ended up becoming a males across the league
professional quarterback in because you want to set
a women’s tackle football Sam Rapoport, NFL senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion, smiles during an interview the bar and you also want
league and has spent two over Zoom from New York on Nov. 10, 2022. Associated Press to exceed your personal
decades working to ex- expectations,” Washington
pand career opportunities Chargers to be the team’s Podcast last month. “Being nual event that connects said.
for women in the sport. director of football admin- from a family of three girls participants working in col- There are six women who
Ashton Washington was istration. and always being told you lege football with owners, are full-time coaches in
surrounded by football as The overall percentage of belong here and your opin- general managers, head the NFL, including Tampa
a kid in Texas, but she says women in the NFL’s league ion about this matters, we coaches and club execu- Bay Buccaneers assistant
she preferred playing with office is at an all-time high definitely had a blessing to tives. More than 225 fe- defensive line coach Lori
Barbie dolls. By high school, of 41.3% in 2022 with 319 fe- have a very passionate girl male coaching, scouting Locust and director of re-
Washington wanted a ca- males holding various posi- dad, as they say.” and operations candidates habilitation/performance
reer in football. Last year, tions. The Institute for Diver- Rapoport, the NFL’s senior have been hired since the coach Maral Javadifar.
the Chicago Bears hired sity and Ethics in Sport said director of diversity, eq- forum started in 2017. Washington Command-
her as the first full-time fe- in its 2022 racial and gender uity and inclusion, is deter- “We just put women in a ers assistant running backs
male scout in team history. report card that the league mined to continue open- position to impress peo- coach Jennifer King, New
Katie Sylvan grew up in San office “has been a model ing doors for women in the ple,” Rapoport said. “Half York Giants offensive qual-
Diego rooting for the Char- of diversity and inclusion for league. our fan base are women. ity control coach Angela
gers. She was determined their clubs to follow.” “I was somewhat relent- Why aren’t they working in Baker, Cleveland Browns
to find a job in football and “To see so many things less with the idea that I was it? We’re working toward chief of staff/assistant wide
applied for the NFL’s junior changing that weren’t this put on this planet to work in that.” receivers coach Callie
rotational program while way when I was little is su- football in some way,” said In June, the Cleveland Brownson and Philadelphia
in college. After nine years per exciting,” Jackson, the Rapoport, Browns named Catherine Eagles sports performance
working for the league, Colts vice chair/owner, Rapoport runs the NFL’s Raiche assistant general coach Autumn Lockwood
Sylvan was hired by the said on the AP Pro Football Women’s Forum, an an- manager and vice presi- are the others. q

Wimbledon relaxes all-white clothing rule for women

LONDON (AP) — Wimble- support women and girls to how they can perform
don is relaxing its require- competing at the champi- at their best,” said Sally
ment for all-white clothing onships.” Bolton, the chief executive
to allow female players to The new rules state that of the All England Club. “It
wear colored undershorts women can now “wear is our hope that this rule ad-
to be more comfortable on solid, mid/dark-colored justment will help players
their periods. undershorts provided they focus purely on their perfor-
Wimbledon’s strict policy are no longer than their mance by relieving a po-
about all-white attire for shorts or skirt.” All other re- tential source of anxiety.”
players is one of the best- quirements for clothing The All England Club also
known features of the and accessories remain said Wimbledon recorded
grass-court Grand Slam unchanged, including the its second-highest ever
tournament, but the All stipulation that “competi- profit of 47.1 million ($55.5
England Club on Thursday tors must be dressed in suit- million) in 2022, which
said it decided to update able tennis attire that is al- trailed behind only 2019. Of Barbora Krejcikova, top right, and Katerina Siniakova of the
the rules after discussions most entirely white.” that, 90% will be distributed Czech Republic, celebrate after beating China’s Shuai Zhang,
“with the WTA, clothing “We are committed to sup- to the Lawn Tennis Associa- bottom left, and Belgium’s Elise Mertens during the final of the
manufacturers and medi- porting the players and lis- tion “for the benefit of Brit- women’s doubles at the Wimbledon tennis championships in
cal teams on how best to tening to their feedback as ish tennis.”q London, on July 10, 2022.
Associated Press