Breaking News: NFL hires first female coach....well, sort of

I have received this link from numerous friends and cohorts, with all of the well meaning intentions possible. You see, I am currently a doctoral student in sport management at THE GREATEST UNIVERSITY, with a focus on uncovering why there is such a severe lack of underrepresentation of Black women in athletic administration. While my particular focus is on women of color, mainly due to the fact that there is a lack of research on this population, I am always excited to hear about women in general that are 'moving the needle'.

Over the summer I was excited to hear about Jen Welter being hired by the Arizona Cardinals.  A woman on the sidelines?  Working with linebackers? WHOA! And then...I actually read the article.  Coach Welter was only hired on a temporary basis. She was an intern during preseason and training camp. As is also the case with Coach Kathryn Smith, who was hired in as the Quality Control-Special Teams Coach (QCC). I must admit, that even with my deep love and devotion to football I had to look what on Earth a quality control special teams coach even does. Unfortunately, a QCC doesn't do much coaching at all, they spend most of their time looking over and analyzing film.  When they do get to coach it will be to run the scout team practices.  

Don't get me wrong both of these women have accomplished something great and created opportunities for other women that many deemed impossible and their roles are inherently important to the success of a football team. Someone has to prep position players during training camp and film has become an integral part to an effective coaching scheme.

My gripe is with how both of these hires have been misrepresented by media and the teams alike.  From the titles and coverage given to these hires I thought both women would be seen on sidelines during the 2015-16 season with headsets on, throwing tablets, while yelling at refs for missing a blatant hold. None of that is going to happen. This discourse that women are incapable of coaching football is infuriating. The ability to coach/teach/lead are not embedded in ones gender, despite what we've been led to believe.

Over the years women have slowly been chipping away at several male-dominated fields. Sports and especially football, have remained elusive. Why? Why is the world of sports still a boys club; where only certain types of boys get to play? Maybe it has to do with what the ideal athlete needs to be.

1. He needs to be strong
2. He needs to be intimidating and imposing
3. He needs to be instinctual
4. He needs to be a predator, showing no mercy
5. He needs to lack emotion (unless he just won a championship, then emotions are OK)
6. And most importantly he needs to be...well a HE 

According to societal norms these are all properties that an ideal athlete possesses, none more than football players. These norms state that women may possess one or two of these attributes but never all of them, especially the coveted number 6.