NFL to Hire Sarah Thomas as First Female Official

Congratulations to her.

How exactly does a non-profit, federally protected league like the NFL get away with not hiring a female official for over 50 years? Clap clap. Happy for her, but let's not act like they deserve a pat on the back. Too little, too late.

I thought there already were some female refs. I remember there was one at the pats v eagles preseason game last year

What happens when she gets leveled during a play or gets in the way during a pick?

fnordcircle said:

Nothing guarantees a surge in misogyny like putting a poor, helpless woman in a position to be hated by hundreds of millions of men after she botches a call. The NFL has gone too far.

Click to expand...

COOL!!!! I was waiting for the first person to use the word "misogyny"!!

You win!

I'm fine with a female ref. The only thing I don't want is a woman doing Patriots games play-by-play. It just wouldn't be right hearing a woman's voice shouting "And he's NAILED at the scrimmage line!"

Unless of course her voice sounds like a guy.....

Ross12 said:

What happens when she gets leveled during a play or gets in the way during a pick?

Click to expand...

The same thing that happens to anyone that gets leveled during a play or gets in the way during a pick. I'm sure she is as prepared to get carted off as anyone else on that field. Its not like she hasn't ref'ed a game before. She knows what the deal is.

I hope this hire will be about a quality official, and not about the league pandering. We don't need a repeat of the NBA and the Violet Palmer/Dee Kantner disasters.

Tunescribe said:

Here are some uniform nominations (top right gets my vote):

Click to expand...

Here's mine:

I give it 10 min into game before gronk trys to slay

Someone gonna start a thread when the NFL hires its first transvestite ref? First gay ref? First gender neutral ref? First polygamist ref?

FCB02062 said:

Someone gonna start a thread when the NFL hires its first transvestite ref? First gay ref? First gender neutral ref? First polygamist ref?

Click to expand...

First competent Commissioner...

Deus Irae said:

I hope this hire will be about a quality official, and not about the league pandering. We don't need a repeat of the NBA and the Violet Palmer/Dee Kantner disasters.

Click to expand...

Yup, and then when CP3 questioned that rookie female official it was the end of the world when in reality it was because of her being a rookie not because she's a woman buuuuuuuuuut media doesn't give a ****.

Haley said:

The same thing that happens to anyone that gets leveled during a play or gets in the way during a pick. I'm sure she is as prepared to get carted off as anyone else on that field. Its not like she hasn't ref'ed a game before. She knows what the deal is.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I guess my post looked like I was questioning the ref herself. I don't doubt she is fully prepared. I was referring more to how the public/media reacts if she ends up getting hurt. Media firestorm for putting a woman on a football field? "They should've known she was more fragile!!!" Just thinking out loud. I don't agree with these sentiments.

fnordcircle said:

Click to expand...

Hahahaha!!!.....I don't get it

It's the 21st century. Women play sports. Get hurt. Fly jets. Get killed serving their country in the military.
They can handle being on a football field as a ref.

But I'm with Deus. Qualified. No pandering, No quotas.

ausbacker said:

First competent Commissioner...

Click to expand...

No one would buy/believe it...

All of those male officials are so competent that it's hard for me to believe that the NFL would risk hiring a girly girl. What a joke.

Deus Irae said:

I hope this hire will be about a quality official, and not about the league pandering. We don't need a repeat of the NBA and the Violet Palmer/Dee Kantner disasters.

Click to expand...

DI, of course the NFL wouldn't fast track a move that is likely to be well received by media -- even at the cost of competency/quality. That's just crazy talk...