Women’s History Month : Women Making History in Sports

Women are making history in nearly every industry around the globe, including tech. More than 11.6 million American businesses are owned by women equating to $1.7 trillion in sales. Some notable billion-dollar businesses include Proactiv, Rent the Runway, Bumble, Spanx, 23andMe, Kate Spade, and Cisco.

Women are making history in politics with 43 women having served or are currently serving as state governors; 345 women have served or are currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 58 are serving or have served in the United States Senate. One notable Senator is serving her first term as Vice President of the United States.

But this is 2021, and women are also making history in sports.

JENNIFER KING

Jennifer King made history as the first Black female assistant coach in the National Football League when the Washington Football Team promoted her to running backs coach and she is the second female assistant positional coach in the NFL behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust. She has proven her worth, having participated in NFL coaching clinics and serving as the team’s full year coaching intern in 2020.

TIANA MANGAKAHIA

Tiana Mangakahia is an Australian basketball player currently playing at Syracuse University, founder Raquel McNabb’s alma mater. In her first two seasons playing with the Orange, she became the fastest player to score 1,000 points. She averages 11.3 points and 7.7 assists, the most in the NCAA, even after sitting out for the 2019 – 2020 season due to her battle with stage 2 breast cancer, a grueling chemotherapy schedule, and a double mastectomy. She returned to the court in November 2020, scoring 16 points and hasn’t looked back. Now she’s set her sights on Tokyo and the Summer Olympics.

SARAH FULLER

Sarah Fuller made history when she became the first woman to compete in a “Power 5” NCAA Division I football game on November 28, 2020 when she completed a kickoff for Vanderbilt University against the University of Missouri after Vanderbilt’s roster was impacted by COVID-19. On December 12, 2020 she made history again when she became the first woman to score in a “Power 5” NCAA Division I football game against Tennessee. Her achievements, including winning the SEC championship for Vanderbilt women’s soccer as goalkeeper in November 2020, earned her an invitation to the Presidential Inauguration.

SARAH THOMAS

National Football League referee, Sarah Thomas, made history in Super Bowl 55 when she became the first female referee to ref a Super Bowl game, but her history making moments began more than a decade earlier.

• Sarah first made history in 2007 when she became the first woman to officiate a major college football game as part of the Memphis/Jacksonville State game crew.
• Sarah made history again in January 2019 when she became the first female on-field official in NFL playoff history.
• Sarah made history again in 2015 when she became the first female hired as a full-time NFL official.

… and the rest is her-story.