It seems like Katie Sowers' name is popping up everywhere after the big game this past Sunday, and for good reason. As the second woman to be made a coach in the NFL, and the first to make it to the Superbowl, she's challenging the NFL and their fans to re-assess the stereotypical idea that football is a "man's" sport, and she's doing a great job of it. As someone who identifies as a lesbian, Katie Sowers is bringing representation to the sport not only for women, but also for the LGBT community as well and opening a dialogue for inclusion and acceptance regardless of someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. So who is she? How did she get here? As someone who isn't a big football fan, though I did enjoy the game Sunday (I don't have loyalty to either team so it was enjoyable watching a come-from-behind victory like that), and didn't know much about Katie, I thought she'd make the perfect candidate for my first "Women Crush(ing it) Wednesday" segment. And that's the beauty of it isn't it, to get all types of people talking about this.
Katie has always been a lover of football, as showcased in her commercial with Microsoft played during the Superbowl, saying that when she was little she "I hope someday I will be on a real football team," which she did. Katie started playing football when she was just 8 years old, spent 1 year playing with the Women's National Football team in 2013, and 8 years playing football in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA), retiring only in 2016 due to a hip injury.
She also stated, in the same commercial, that she knew she always wanted to be a coach, because her father was a coach; which we all know she accomplished on a grand scale! I was curious as to how she got there though. Well, for five years she was the athletic director for Kansas City, which she did while still playing in the WFA, and in 2016 she moved on to the Atlanta Falcons for a year. There she worked with wide receivers during their off season in the training camps and also spent 9 months with them as a scouting intern. In 2017 she made her way to the 49ers where she was hired as a seasonal offensive assistant coach under the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and continued her work with wide receivers. For two season she remained seasonal, but in 2019 she was promoted and the "seasonal" was dropped from her title.
I also found out that she, at one point, had been barred from coaching basketball due to her sexual orientation. I bet they are regretting that decision big time. It says something about Katie's character that instead of letting that deter her, it actually seems to have helped motivate her and to really push through some intimidating barriers. Because I'm sure she faced, and will continue to face, many hurdles in her career just because of of her gender or her sexual orientation. Which is why I love her quote in Outsports that kept coming up in my research, "the more we create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day." If we can erase this stigma surrounding certain groups in certain situations or positions, the closer we will be to accepting all people all the time.
In the same Microsoft commercial mentioned above Katie goes on to say, "I never saw an opportunity in football, because I had never seen a female coach before." Sometimes you just have to pave the way, break boundaries, make history, be that trailblazer, be that one that she talks about in the same commercial. Well Katie, now you're that one and you're inspiring others to do the same; we celebrate and look up to your bold moves, unwillingness to give up, and enthusiasm. Thank you.
Sources:
1. 49ers.com/team/coaches-roster/katie-sowers 2. goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/san-francisco-49ers-katie-sowers-first-female-1st-68640488
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