Women In Male Pro Sports: Meet The Two Women Who Are Showing That Girls Can Play Too
When we think of the NBA, typically we think of gargantuan, insanely muscular men shooting crazy shots and crossing over opponents like they actually want to break their ankles but we may have to reconsider this image, at least from the point of view from the bench. Pint-sized basketball veteran Becky Hammon is changing the way we see women in the male-dominated industry of sports, especially the NBA.
In 2014 Becky Hammon was offered a job with the San Anotonio Spurs after shadowing the team. Head coach Gregg Popovich was impressed with her keen eye as well as her ability to know "when to talk and when to shut up."
Since accepting the job, Hammon has been making awesome strides, becoming the first woman head coach to win the Summer League in Las Vegas. Some of her own stats include playing for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars after going undrafted in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She suffered a torn ACL in 2013 and had to consider a career shift. Fast forward to now and she's heating this summer up!
Meanwhile, another woman trendsetter is Jen Welter, recently hired as a training camp/preseason intern for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. She is the first woman to be a coach in league history, let alone for just the Cardinals. Her background consists of having a doctorate in psychology (which she will absolutely utilize) and playing running back for the Texas Revolution. Aside from that, she spent some time as a linebackers and special teams coach in the women's league.
This is great because not only does she have playing experience, but she knows how to coach. She can also approach some of her coaching techniques from a psychological point of view and counsel her players through the difficulties of the season.
The players themselves have expressed excitement over the new blood, with the only thought on their mind being someone who can help lead them towards vcitory. These women have definitely made waves in the world of sports, and women everywhere should enjoy both football and basketball seasons if only because they see someone like them leading amazing squads.
We wish them both extreme successes this year!
