It Was Mostly Women On This Football Field. And What?

For what might have been the first time ever, a mostly female crew officiated an NCAA football game.

That was according to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, an Atlanta-based league that contains mostly historically black schools. Last night’s game was between Miles and Lane.

The NFL’s director of football officials David Coleman and director of recruiting Ron Baynes attended in order to evaluate the performance.

This is a big deal, as these four women represent the next generation of female officials that might break into the NFL. That’s after referee Sarah Thomas breaks the NFL’s glass ceiling, which she is expected to do as early as the 2014 NFL season.

According to Nielsen, about 47 percent of the 2013 Super Bowl audience was female, but the NFL boasts not a single full-time female official. Nevertheless, it seems like the league is at least moving in the right direction.

The first female to officiate in the NFL was Shannon Eastin, who reffed a game in August of 2012. Comparatively, the NBA has been using female refs since 1997, and the MLB has never used one.

Daniel Rivero is a producer/reporter for Fusion who focuses on police and justice issues. He also skateboards, does a bunch of arts related things on his off time, and likes Cuban coffee.