Women comprise 45 percent of the National Football League’s fan base, an NFL spokeswoman said as the league focuses on attracting more young women to the sport.
A league that a few years ago was completely male dominated now has two female coaches, two female officials, three female (100 percent) owners and a female chief security officer, a small number to be sure, but at least an improvement from the old days.
“We want to make sure we’re giving our fans an enriching experience and thinking about the biggest platform there is as an opportunity to bring in teen girl fans,” NFL vice president of marketing Johanna Faries said at the second NFL Women’s Summit, dubbed Plays for Life, in Houston ahead of the Super Bowl.
Women currently make up 45 percent of the league’s fan base,” Faries said.
Female viewership of the NFL grew by 26 percent from 2009 to 2013, said Athletic Business, an online resource for sports professionals, adding that 53 million women in the US watched the 2015 Super Bowl, almost half the total audience of 114 million.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have the biggest female fan base.
And high-school girls are also playing the game in increasing, although still small numbers.
While last year’s inaugural NFL Women’s Summit focused on how participation in sports can lead to success both on and off the field, this year the event focused on the importance of mentorship and chasing after goals.
“It went even bigger into the conversation of pursuing your dreams and how leaders of today can share insights, and what challenges they’ve overcome personally and professionally,” Faries said.
Professional athletes, astronauts and business leaders from Houston and across the US took the stage in front of about 300 Houston-area girls to share inspirational stories of personal and professional obstacles they had overcome to achieve their goals.
NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier spoke of her transformation from a teenage runaway who dropped out of high school to the first woman ever to head the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
Olympic gymnastics gold medalists Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, crowd favorites, were featured on a panel discussion discussing everything from the grueling schedule of an Olympic athlete to celebrity crushes.
In his opening remarks, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke of the importance of mentoring.
The program is just one way the NFL is attempting to reach its younger fan base.
The league is to soon launch an “Experienceship” program, which is to take young girls and boys into NFL offices around the draft to see what goes on behind the scenes.
“It’s an opportunity to see what it’s like in the NFL ... so you can discover, is there an opportunity for me in the NFL?” Goodell said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely