Over the past year, the professional sports world has seen many landmark firsts: the first female NBA coach, NFL referee, NFL coach, and professional baseball player. While some of these breakthroughs have received more attention than others, the availability of opportunities for women in sports seems to be rising across the board. As more Americans think about gender equality — whether that means contemplating electing a woman president, considering the ramifications of unequal pay for equal work, or pondering the overall modern feminist movement — women filling prominent positions in the sports world serve as role models and help shape perceptions of women in American politics as well as culture.
Recently, the rise of the female professional athlete has garnered significant media attention. This summer, for example, the US Women’s National Soccer Team broke TV rating records, and Fox stated that the final match against Japan was the highest metered market rating ever for a soccer game in the U.S. on a single network. And female athletes like Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, and Lindsay Vonn are on their way to becoming household names. Although it has received less publicity, recently the rise of women in sports, not only as athletes but also as coaches and leaders, has taken leaps and bounds. This marked progress paves a path for more gender equality throughout the sporting world, which in turn sets an example for the country to follow.
Becky Hammon, the assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, is undoubtedly one of the foremost trailblazers for women in sports. Under the leadership of head coach Gregg Popovich, Hammon has become not only the first female full time assistant coach in the NBA, but also the first in any of the four major US sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL). After Popovich entrusted Hammon to be head coach of the Spurs 2015 Summer League team, she led the team to a Las Vegas Summer League championship. With this feat, Hammon, the first female head coach of a Summer League team, made waves. After the championship win, the media exploded with stories of her success — even Hillary Clinton chimed in a congratulations. Other coaches and executives around the league noted her success and posited that like many of Popovich’s former pupils, she could easily have a head-coaching job within the next few years
In the NFL this year, the Arizona Cardinals hired Dr. Jen Welter as assistant coach for inside linebackers. This comes after Welter had already been named the first woman to play a non-specialist position (running back) in a men’s professional league. Welter has immense experience in football and her players have already praised her expertise and coaching, she holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Capella University and a master’s degree in sports psychology from Boston College. Welter is a shining example of the imminently qualified women being hired to leadership positions across the professional sports world that are defying gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality.
Although Hammon and Welter have created a lot of buzz, they are not alone. In just the past two years, Sarah Thomas became the first full-time, female NFL official in history; Melissa Mayeux, a 16 year old from France, made MLB history as the first female ballplayer to be added to the MLB’s international registration list; Sarah Hudek became one of the first female baseball players in collegiate history; Shelby Osborne was named the first non-specialist woman in college football history; and Mo’ne Davis became the first girl in Little League World Series history to pitch a shutout, earning her an ESPY and numerous other awards.
The advancements on the field also bear important political opportunity as the nation enters an election year in which gender rights and equality will be a central discussion point. With the media covering every misogynistic comment made by Donald Trump, it’s time voters hear positive messages about women pushing boundaries, rather than bombastic comments about Megyn Kelly. In the past, sports have been a springboard for political conversations — historical moments like Jackie Robinson joining the MLB or, more recently, NBA players, including LeBron James, wearing “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts can serve to leverage cultural and political change. When the more neutral platform of sports moves in a more progressive direction, these changes, in addition to helping to shape the country’s attitude on various issues, can be a hopeful sign that the general attitude of the country may soon be following behind.
As the 2016 elections chugs along its winding path, candidates would do well to praise these incredible achievements in the sporting world. Improving gender equality in the professional sports world has been met with almost unanimous from the American public. The current discussion on gender equality is vital, and far from over, and candidates would be smart to acknowledge and praise the positive change in professional sports, tapping into the public energy and excitement surrounding these advances. Perhaps Republican candidates would likely benefit from these actions more so than Democrats, as they have more political ground to make up when it comes to gender equality issues. Either way, when candidates from both parties acknowledge the progress of gender equality in the sports world and discuss the barriers that still remain, these issues can have real impacts in the political world and on the direction of the election.