Increased Feminism in the NFL

By: Kyle Schroeder

Article Review

• The NFL is now required to interview a female candidate for a position in the league office.

• This rule was announced at the lead up to SB50 in San Fransisco, CA by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

• “We believe in diversity” said Goodell

Feminist Approach• Women have very distinct ways of viewing work

and creating meaning which can add to an organization.

• Adding women to an organization can create a new outlook that can help create a great diverse culture.

• Women are valuable and hold a strong place in an organization, they are key to maximizing the potential.

NFL opening up to more females

• The NFL is looking to add more females to their offices in hopes of having more diversity.

• To ensure such they are requiring the league offices to interview one female candidate for job openings.

• This is something that is considered to be long overdue.

NFL Women’s Summit• This monumental announcement came at the first

ever NFL Women’s Summit, in San Fransisco, CA days before Super Bowl 50 by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

• Famous Women in attendance:Rogers’s wife Jane Skinner Goodell, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; and women tennis star Billie Jean King

NFL Women’s Summit• There’s no word yet, but it is believe that this

summit will now meet every year during the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

• The goal this summit is to bring together prominent women from sports, government, media, and a variety of other fields and allow younger women it see the power of sports and where they they fit it to a developing field.

Famous women in the NFL Team Front Offices

• Amy Trask; former CEO of the Oakland Raiders for 16 years

• Dawn Aponte; currently still in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins as executive VP of Football administration.

Women who are currently in NFL League Offices (prior to new rule)

• Dawn Hudson: Chief Marketing Officer

• Cynthia Hogan: a Chief Lobbyist

• Anna Isaacson: Vice President for Social Media Responsibility

• Lisa Friel: former prosecutor who is in charge of investigating player into player misconduct

NFL’s “Rooney Rule”• The “Rooney Rule” is a requirement for NFL Front

Offices, when it comes to hiring Head Coaches and General Managers.

• It requires each team to interview at least one African American candidate for either of those position.

• The goal of this rule is to increase NFL diversity in the front office and coaching ranks.

The New “Rooney Rule”• Goodell stated at the Women’s Summit this new

rule is based around the same concept as the Rooney Rule.

• It will work the same way in that each League Office Position must have a women interviewed among the male candidates for that individual position.

• Both of these rules will assist in creating a diverse new NFL.

Roger Goodell quotes from the Summit

• “We believe we’re better as an organization when we have good people at the table.”

• “You can see that process is being made”

• “We’re going to keep making progress here and make a difference.”

Other Women in the NFL

• Jen Welter

• Sarah Thomas

• Kathryn Smith

Jennifer Welter• On July 27, 2015 Jen Welter was named an

assistant coaching intern for training camp and the preseason for the Arizona Cardinals.

• According to Cardinals Pro Bowl DB Tyrann Mathieu, her coaching style doesn’t differ from a lot of male coaches he has encountered in his career.

• However for Welter, her internship with the team expired following the third preseason game last season.

Sarah Thomas

• On April 8, 2015, Thomas was announced as the first full-time female referee.

• She made here debut last September for the NFL

• Prior to getting the NFL official, Thomas worked as a referee in scrimmages and preseason for the New Orleans Saints.

Kathryn Smith

• On January 20, 2016 the Buffalo Bills announced her has their special teams quality control coach.

• This made her the first full-time female NFL coach.

• She had previously interned with the New York Jets before becoming and administrative assistant for the Bills in 2014, prior to her promotion.

Optimism for more Women• These women all have been hired in the last year

by the NFL showing that the league is looking to continue to grow its diversity

• It also shows that more and more roles are becoming available to women in the NFL that previously were not.

• This increase of women is supposed to continue and growth is expected over the next few years.

Questions• How quickly will this rule start to change the number

of women in the league office for the better?

• Will this rule start to reach into the individual team front offices and coaching staffs?

• Will we continue to see an increased number of female coaches in the NFL?

• Will a problem arise in an NFL Locker Room, if there are female coaches?

SourcesBelson, K. (2016). N.F.L. Will Require Interviews of Women for League Executive Positions. Retrieved February 14, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/sports/football/nfl-women-rooney-rule-super-bowl.html?_r=0

NFL to hold Women's Summit ahead of Super Bowl 50. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000626342/article/nfl-to-hold-womens-summit-ahead-of-super-bowl-50

Roger Goodell: NFL creating a Rooney Rule for women. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2016, from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000632320/article/roger-goodell-nfl-creating-a-rooney-rule-for-women