Women in the NFL?
April 1, 2013
Read all about it. A woman tried out recently as a kicker for the National Football League. She didn’t do so well and now other women who are serious about playing football say she has given female football players a bad name.
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CJS-360 Diversity Issues 
Not sure how I feel about this one. I do believe it was a bit of a slap in the face for her to just show up and assume she can kick because she is a soccer player. I can understand why Mo would be angry with this because she has been practicing for years to become a kicker in the NFL as a woman and this doesn’t help the argument of whether or not women can make it in football. As a woman, it bothers me but not enough to care because the high school i went to, we had two female kickers on our football team, both who were soccer players. I knew they could kick so this Lauren girl who tried out at the combine doesn’t bother me. I think she may have just been bored with her life and wanted something to do. Mo has a right to an opinion but i don’t think she should let this set her back.
This is a tough topic. the whole story does not make a lot of sense. From what I can see Mo is upset because of how poorly someone else’s tryout went? That does not make a lot of sense. Why would she let Laurens poor kicking affect her. The reality behind all of this drama is whether or not females whould be able to play football in the NFL. Absolutely! After listening to our classmates presentation last week in class I would not agree more with his points. If someone believes they can go out there and kick butt on the football field whether they are a male or female than why not let them try. They know the consequences of getting hurt just as well as the boys know their consequences. Any female that would be able to tryout on the NFL is an adult and they are mature enough to make that decision. My main argument is that if we are allowing elementary school levels and some high school to allow females on the football team then why are they not letting them on the NFL. They work hard through high school and to throw it all away after that would be sad. Therefore I agree with AShley ^ and Mo should still go out there and give it her all.
I agree I doent understand why Mo is upset. someones poor performance shouldnt discourage her from going out. I think females should be given a chance to try out for the NFL and if they make try outs they should be able to play in the league. I also agree that women are fully aware of the consequences as well as man,so they should be able to determine if they want to take the risk.
Okay first of all let me say this is a very good example of gender stereotyping. It is hard enough for women to be able to compete on the same level as men. Not that women can’t compete but that there is a “glass cieling” to the point where women are not seen to amount to the same level as a man. However I do not think that just because this girl who tried out for the NFL and had a bad try out means that she gave all women trying out for the NFL a bad name. Just because a man went to try out for the NFL and had a bad tryout does not give all other men trying out a bad name, so why just because she’s a woman would that affect any sort of status? I understand that it would be a huge breaking point if women were able to play in the NFL and I understand that stepping stones are being taken to see that this happens eventually. However I did not agree with this article, I think that one bad try out should not be looked at so dramatically in the terms of affecting how the NFL looks at females who are trying out. Just does not make sense.
I agree, there is a clear example of gender stereotyping. I disagree completely with the assumption that she gave all women who try for the NFL a bad reputation. It was the kicker’s responsibility to make the kick and she couldn’t do it. There are some people who make too much out of nothing. I am sure more women in the future try out to get in the NFL.
I’m not sure what to think about this story. I agree with Breanna in some sports such as football especially the NFL, women’s abilities are not viewed in the same way as men and probably never will be. However if someone wants to tryout and compete they shouldn’t let one persons bad tryout dictate if they are going to try or not. So I guess I don’t really understand why Mo would be upset. If she feels she wants to try out and is ready, then she should do what is best for her and not base it on others.
I agree with all of the posts. I do not see why Mo would be upset about some other girls tryout. Mo is obviously a good kicker so I guess I do not understand why she would care about the other girls poor performance. As far as women being in the NFL, I do not see an issue with it if they are kickers. I played semi-professional football and I think that if a woman joined the big leagues like the NFL, it would not turn out good if they played a position which would allow them to take a big hit. I am not saying they should not be allowed to play, but I think injuries would be a big probability. I have met a lot of pro players and the size and speed is incredible. I feel that the size and strength difference is inevitable that women would get hurt playing against a 350lb player. The way the NFL is right now, I do not see any teams selecting women players. However, I feel Mo could be the first female kicker in the NFL with her kicking abilities.
I think that women should get the chance to go into the NFL if they qualify for it because everyone deserve to show what they have. I thought that it was pretty amazing how Lauren was given the chance to try out for the NFL because I think she was the first women to be given the chance to try out. Even though she didn’t do as well as what everyone thought she could have done, at least she gave it a shot. I thought it was could still have given more thought into her decision about the kick because football is different from soccer.
I agree, if they qualify for the job they should apply. I think, there is still Employment Equality problem that we have in this country.
I think that it is pretty amazing that the NFL allowed a woman to participate in the combine. I do agree with Ms. Isom, Ms. Silberman should have been more prepared and taken the combine more seriously. It does not matter whether she was a man or woman; To be given such a huge opportunity and not have prepared as much as you could does not do justice to others that would kill for that opportunity. I believe though that the showing that Ms. Silberman had was horrible but that might be what an other female athlete that wants to try out for the NFL use as motivation to show that not all women athletes are as horrible as Ms. Silberman.
I am not one to tell someone what they can or cannot do. I believe if she is just as good as a male than why not let her play. I believe as long as they have the equal standards than allow her to play. The article was confusing because they talked about a female kicker that tried out for the NFL was only able to kick 13 yards. The fact that she was only able to kick so little was a disgrace to women, according to a female that was able to kick 40-50 yard field goals.
I agree with BM and several other comments that were left, I’m not sure why Mo is upset. Mo herself had something to prove and I think she was perfectly capable of proving that on her own. She wanted to prove women can one day play in the NFL and I think maybe one day it might happen but I don’t think it’s such a good idea personally. Women have been trying to prove so much over the years and this is the one thing I don’t believe should be one. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be an all-girls football league but I wouldn’t enjoy seeing women and men play on the same football team. It doesn’t seem safe or realistic that women who are not physically capable of competing in such an aggressive and violent contact sport, up against men.
After reading all of the comments, I am leaning towards agreeing with Tawana. I do not think that this is an arguement that should be won. While completely understanding and agreeing that women should have equal rights, there are still some limitations. I think that there may be some women out there that are capable of competing in full contact sports, as well as having the speed and agility- but how many would really be able to take a hit from someone like Jared Allen. The sheer size of some of these men should be reason enough not to play. I do agree though that there may be a need for some type of womens league. With regards to the article, I think it was a little ridiculous to say that this set women back. I don’t think Mo should have been so critical of someone just because they weren’t as good as she may have been. I think there would also become an issue if women were actually allowed to play, it wouldn’t mean that they would get picked in the draft in which case then it would probably start up discrimination lawsuits. I also do not think they would feel or be treated like “one of the guys” on the team.
This is a great leap for women. I do not consider this a fail at all. Can you imagine the pressure that was on Lauren. The pressure was on her, and I don’t think people should beat her up for at least trying. The atmosphere was probably very intimidating. In regards to Mo being upset, I do not think her chances in the NFL are effected by what happen to Lauren. In chapter 11 Investigating Difference, there are more women attending law students then men. Women account for nearly half of the students and nothing is stopping them as well. I do not think that Mo should be affect by Lauren’s outcome. She’s playing semi-pro and that’s an amazing feet to consider as well.
A small part of me understands why Mo is upset about Lauren’s tryout because it may have set women back in the eyes of the NFL. However I mostly feel that Lauren’s performance should not affect Mo trying out for the NFL. From reading some of the comments above, I feel that there are some women who are more than capable to compete in full contact sport and they should go for it, however like Megan, above mentioned, “how many [women] would really be able to take a hit from someone like Jared Allen.”
I think women should try to get in the NFL; in the text book “Investigating Difference” the subject of equality in the criminal justice was discussed (page 110). Although, NFL was not discussed but the policy and laws should create opportunities for women to get involved in the NFL.
I view NFL as business-oriented and money making industry. It’s not wrong for women to work either as administrative personnel or as athletes. The addition of women in our sports business is vital in the expansion of diversity. Diversity can in fact enhance the business industry.
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I understand how Mo was feeling, however could she have said it differently? For example, she could have said,” I support her courage for trying out considering her lack of ability and preparedness”. I believe this would have come across far better than her attacking comments which in my opinion is what could “set women back”.
Like some others, I am also a little confused about this article. I do not believe Lauren’s try out will be the basis for which all women who wish to try out for the NFL will be judged on. I have a great deal of respect for Lauren to audition for the NFL, that is an incredible amount of pressure she was under. Lauren’s try out should have no impact on Mo’s future in professional sports. If Mo, Lauren and all female atheletes are capable they will have that opportunity in professional sports.
I am torn on this issue. While I do believe that men and women should have equal rights when it comes to employment I do think there are limitations. I think that the sheer size difference between men and women would cause a lot of problems in football. While women may have the talent to kick, or even play other positions, their bodies are not meant to take these big hits from such huge men. I think there is a big double standard with this issue though. Women want to argue that they should be given a chance to compete, and again, I think they should. But, if a man wanted to join a softball team it would be heavily looked down upon. He does have the option of playing baseball, but why should he be restricted to that? There are female football teams but yet there are still women who want to join the male teams. Everyone jumps to support the woman on a male team but the man wanting to join a female team. I do not think that any female should be upset over how well another female did at a tryout. If they want to play they have every right to attend a tryout.
I do understand the frustration female athletes hoping to make a run to the NFL felt after this happened. I am not a huge fan in calling Lauren Silberman out for setting these athletes back. Yes, it didn’t go well for her but I feel like it’s kind of cheap for people to shoot everyone down based off one incident. That’s really all I want to say about the article itself. The thing that bothers me the most is the Lingerie Football League. It bothers me because these women can play as well or better than I can but at the same time no one takes them seriously. I feel like if women want to play football they should be taken seriously and not made into a way for men to be entertained. I don’t agree with the provocative uniforms they have to wear and the way they are portrayed by the league itself. The women in this league must also live up to the double standard of being athletic and appealing to men otherwise they don’t belong. Overall I believe women should be taken serious if they want to play football, at any position. It could be kicker, a position along the defensive or offensive lines, secondary, and quarter back. I would even like to see women as coaches and general managers.
I strongly believe that women should not be allowed to play in the NFL. that would suck! i am not a sexist but i do believe that will ruin the game. If women want to play football than they should create their own women league like they did in the NBA. some sports are for ” one gender only” and the NFL is one of them. if women like to play the same sports as men then they should be treated like a man. women: please don’t ruin the game for us!!
I believe that if the skill that is required for being a kicker for a profession men’s football team is present there is no reason for women to not get the opportunity to do so. I do believe that there is very serious and very high rate of injury in football and that should absolutely be considered. If a female in high school cannot check in hockey with other females why should females kick in professional men’s football? To me this is all a risk that needs to be taken in consideration when trying out for football. I do think that women can be very good athletes and can compete with men on skill but not in size and stature. My stance on females kicking in professional football would be against it, make a league of females that want to play ball but not in scantily dressed lingerie which is another topic that is completely ridiculous in it and as the article stated a regression in the development in females.