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albeit none of them are head
coaches, YET. The National
Hockey League also has sever-
al star female players including
Manon Rheaume, Evelyn Byng,
Kendal Coyne Schofield, Irene
Castle and Marguerite Norris.
Soccer, which many coun-
tries call football, has been a
female dominated sports in
the United States ever since
the women’s team won a gold
medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Mia Hamm emerged as a hero
and little girls all over the Unit-
ed States had a sports star to
look up to. The number 9 be-
came the most requested jersey
number for boys and girls. Mia
Hamm is considered to be the
best female soccer player in his-
tory, in history, not just US his-
tory. She played with the U.S.
Women’s National Soccer team
for 17 years in which time won
Move Over Boys – We have Arrived 3 gold medals, 4 World Cups,
and 8 CONCACAF gold cups.
Through her years playing pro-
fessional soccer she was always
By Carol Heath an advocate for the women in
the sport calling for equal pay
e all know how import- and also wearing a gold helmet gonna happen. However, in re- as the men were paid substan-
Want sports is to the av- that says “Play like a girl” (won- cent years there has been more tially higher wages, never win-
erage male, but what about der where she got that?)* Sarah women representation in staff- ning as many tournaments or
the females? I’m a female, last became the first woman to play ing and coaching in the NFL. medals as their counterparts.
time I looked, and I for one in a regular season collegiate Women like Callie Brownson After years and years as
love sports. I’ve always played football game. And she didn’t of the Cleveland Browns is the second-class citizen, on Sep-
sports, coached sports, and stop there, she is studying NFL chief of staff, and Jennifer King tember 21, 2021, a headline
now I just watch, but the opti- players as she hopes to try out was Washington’s coaching in- appeared in The Quartz which
mal word is I am still interest- for a professional team. Her tern last year, and Sarah Thom- read The US women’s soccer
ed. I know a lot of women that coach at Vanderbilt thinks she as, is an NFL official. These team got the same contract as
like to watch sports, some are has the stuff to do just that. women are no strangers when the men. A very long time com-
even passionate about it. Sat- In recent years there has it comes to making history. In ing, but well deserved.
urdays during college football been more opportunities for 2015, Thomas was the first-ev- Women’s sports are slow-
is one of my favorite times of women in football. In 2015, er female permanent NFL game ly gaining viewership all over
the year, the other being every the Utah Girls Tackle Foot- official. In 2018, Brownson was the world and the more expo-
March. College sports has al- ball League became an official the first full-time Division-1 sure they get the more popular
ways been my favorite and until league in the United States. football coach. And finally, but they are becoming. Gone are
recently it has been dominated And, in 2021, the National by no means the least Jennifer the days when guys would say
by male athletes. No more! Association of Intercollegiate King played for the Carolina “Who wants to watch a bunch
I would venture to say that Athletics introduced women’s Phoenix, representing her team of girls play ball?” My answer,
most people think a woman varsity flag football as an offi- in the Women’s Football Alli- “Who doesn’t.”
could not play in the NFL be- cial sport. This may have been ance, where she was seven, yes, *Of course, you had to
cause of some rule or regula- why the interest in 11-player seven All-American receiver know if I was going to write a
tion, but you would be wrong. tackle football has increased and quarterback, not too shab- sports article about football, I
Woman have always been eligi- in popularity and participation by. Also, in 2017, the San Fran- had to get a plug in for my No-
ble to play in this male orientat- among women. When I played cisco 49ers hired Katie Sowers, tre Dame football team. The
ed sport. However, times they many many years ago, we called making her the second woman helmet which she wears with
are a changing, introducing la- it powder puff football, but to be a coach joining Buffa- “Play like a Girl” is a take-off of
dies and gentlemen Sarah Full- there were no girly girls and we lo Bills quality control coach the famous “Play like a Cham-
er, the first woman to play in a played tackle football, just ask Kathryn Smith. pion today” which is the sign
Power Five football game for both of my knees. Another area where women every Notre Dame football
Vanderbilt University. Wearing I’m by no means saying have gained some prominence player taps as he goes down the
number 32, the same number I think women can compete has been in the NBA, where steps ready to meet their next
she wears when she plays goal- physically with their male coun- there are some 11 women in opponent.
ie for the women’s soccer team, terparts, we all know this ain’t various coaching positions,
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