How women are impacting the NFL more than ever
Sandra Douglass Morgan being introduced as the new President of the Las Vegas Raiders (2022). Photo Credit: Getty Images
You can say that for the majority of the lifespan of the sport of football, it has always been seen as a “man’s game.” However, in recent years, several women have come in and put a stamp on the game and how we see it today. These women have made a difference in their unique ways, and they deserve to be highlighted and celebrated.
Here are just a few great examples.
Sandra Douglass morgan
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Sandra Douglass Morgan is a North Las Vegas city attorney who also served as Commissioner of the Nevada Gaming Commission and as Chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, amongst many other things.
In 2022, she became the first Black & Asian woman ever to serve as a team president in NFL history. This came after the sudden dismissal of former team president Dan Ventrelle, following a long line of seemingly unwavering conflict within the Raiders front office.
She has wanted to bring more diversity to not only the Raiders, but the NFL as a whole. She also worked to implement an improvement of culture within the Raiders organization, which included hiring a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) director, more community outreach efforts, etc. Morgan is someone who doesn’t want her work to be an isolated incident and opens up doors for so many more women at all levels of NFL teams.
Jennifer king
Photo Credit: Nick Wass/Associated Press
Jennifer King got her start in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a coaching intern, working with wide receivers and, later, running backs. After a brief stint as offensive assistant for Dartmouth, she would come back into the league as an intern, this time with the now Washington Commanders. This led to her becoming an assistant running backs coach for the team, being the first ever Black woman to be named a full-time coach in the history of the NFL. King most recently began working with the Chicago Bears as an offensive assistant and running backs coach.
King played 12 seasons in the Women’s Football Alliance for the Carolina Phoenix (2006-2017), New York Sharks (2018), and the DC Divas (2019) where she was a quarterback, defensive back, and a wide receiver.
Maria Rodriguez
Photo Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
Maria Rodriguez is the current International Content Manager for the Pittsburgh Steelers. She was originally a training camp office intern. Something she does is connect with the Spanish-speaking communities of NFL fans, helping the Steelers achieve a much wider reach, having a more global presence as a result.
Katie Sowers
Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Katie Sowers is known for being the first openly gay and first female to coach in a Super Bowl. She started playing football at the age of 8, later playing in the Women’s Football Alliance for the West Michigan Mayhem and Kansas City Titans. She also won an IFAF Women’s World Championship as a member of the USA National Team in 2013, she would retire in 2016.
Following her football career, she was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as a coaching intern/training camp assistant before moving to the San Francisco 49ers as a seasonal intern and then becoming a full-time offensive assistant. Sowers would move to the Kansas City Chiefs in a similar role in 2021, before being hired as the flag football defensive coordinator for Ottawa University, the role she is in as of 2024.
These are just a few of the women who can be considered trailblazers, pioneers, and role models to not just other women but for everyone looking to make their way to the NFL.
Increased diversity, helping the NFL expand its brand far beyond the United States, making the game more inviting, etc. are just a few of ways these women have changed the game we know and love for the better.
These are women who put in the work and earned their accolades. Women who never let anything stop them from achieving greatness. Women who are going to continue changing the game and inviting more women to come in and do the same and then some.
There is still so much work that has to be done for our beautiful game, but these amazing figures have helped make the NFL a better and safer space for everyone involved.