Some Girls DO Know How to Throw a Ball....and Coach Football Too

     As I write my first official DC post after spending three weeks in Buffalo, I’ve decided to start with a story of something that happened to me a few days before I left.  I was at the Erie County Fair with my cousin and a few of her guy friends.  They heard I was from DC and one turned and asked me a question.

     “Are the Washington Redskins from the city or the state?”

     I thought he was joking at first but then the others started asking too.  Now I’m not a football expert but I do try to follow the unlucky Redskins during the fall and go to FedEx Field occasionally.  So my cousin and I both said pretty assuredly that the team was the Washington, DC Redskins.  They didn’t believe us and had to google it to check which amazed me further.  Being from DC I always thought everyone knew who the Redskins were, and I thought Buffalo Bills fans should too seeing as we had just beaten them the night before in a preseason game.

    Anyways, though this post isn’t about the Redskins, it is about football in DC and I figured that would be an interesting way to start.

    One of my older sister’s dreams is to be the head coach of an NFL team.  My mom even bought her a video game called NFL Head Coach so she could practice.  Her dream always seemed impossible, but now steps are being taken in that direction right down the street. 

     Natalie Randolph was announced the new Head Coach of the Calvin Coolidge High School football team on March 12.  She has spent all summer training the team and is preparing for her first fall season.  I can’t wait for her to start.

     Randolph’s style may be quieter and less up front than the average large male coach, but I think it will have the same if not greater effect on her players.  Coaching the game from a different perspective can help not only Coolidge but other teams as well.  Even if Randolph does not have a successful season this fall I think her work as a coach will inspire other schools to hire female football coaches, making the game more accessible to women.

     There is a women’s professional league that women can play and coach in, but it doesn’t compare to the men’s game in style or popularity.  Though women don’t play on the same scale as men they can still participate in the coach’s box, and with the help of Randolph, that’s becoming a greater possibility.

    So, unfortunately for my sister the glass ceiling of the NFL has not been broken yet, but Natalie Randolph and Coolidge High School have made a few small cracks.