With every accomplishment made and glass ceiling broken by women in sports, the road for future generations of female athletes, journalists, and fans becomes smoother. New women are joining this industry everyday, fighting for a seat at the proverbially sports table and doing things that have never been done before.
Our No. 3 badass woman has managed to break down multiple barriers and occupy a space in sports that only one woman had held before her.
Katie Sowers
There may be no more hallowed ground for male dominance in professional sports than coaching in the National Football League. Katie Sowers, however, smashed through this glass ceiling like Von Miller through the Panthers offensive line in Super Bowl 50. She reached the pinnacle of the sport in only a few years by landing a full-time position on the coaching staff of the San Francisco 49ers 2019 Super Bowl team.
Sowers spent eight years playing tackle football in the Women’s Football Alliance during which time she joined the U.S Women’s National American Football Team in winning the 2013 IFAF Women’s World Championship.
A 2016 hip injury forced Sowers into retirement, but it wasn’t long before she took her talent and football knowledge elsewhere.
By summer 2016, Sowers had made the leap into the National Football League in conjunction with being hired to the Atlanta Falcons as a wide receivers coaching intern. After training camp, Sowers continued her career with the Falcons as an intern scout until moving to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
The 49ers originally hired Sowers as a seasonal offensive assistant coach.Before the 2017 season, Sowers came out as a lesbian, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ coach in the NFL.
After two years as a seasonal position with the 49ers and grinding on and off the field to break down social barriers, Sowers proved herself worthy of a promotion. In 2019 Sowers followed in Arizona Cardinals coach Jen Welter’s footsteps, adding ‘second full-time female coach in NFL history’ to her list of accolades.
Her first year as a full-time coach was nothing short of amazing (unsurprisingly), with the 49ers notching a 13-3 regular season record. San Francisco went on to dominate the NFC in the playoffs and eventually made it to Super Bowl LIV.
Not only did Sowers make it to the Super Bowl in her first season as a full-time coach, but in doing so became the first female and openly LGBTQ+ member of a Super Bowl team’s coaching staff.
Sowers has taken monumental strides in paving the way for minority coaches, female athletes, and the LGBTQ+ community. She stands loud and proud, while putting in the work to prove women can succeed in any field.
When asked to elaborate on her most recent accomplishment Sowers told ESPN: “But what I want to continue to say is that even though I’m the first, the most important thing is I’m not the last and we continue to grow it.”
Now is the time to take note of who Katie Sowers is, what she represents and what her work means for future generations.
In the next of this 10-part series, I will tell you the story of one of the greatest athletes of this generation. A woman whose dedication to the work and activism America so desperately needs has always taken precedence over the sport she loves. A woman whose voice and guidance are exactly what the world needs right now, stay tuned.
Full list:
- 10 of the most influential and badass women in sports: 1. Megan Rapinoe
- 10 of the most influential and badass women in sports: 2. Mina Kimes
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