Professional sports has long been a domain dominated by men, but with one small personnel addition the tide may finally be turning. This past Monday, the Arizona Cardinals football team made the announcement that they would be hiring Dr. Jen Welter, Ph.D, as a coach for training camp and preseason. This is no ordinary appointment: Welter, 37, is now slated to become the first woman to hold a coaching position in the NFL. Can’t you just hear that glass ceiling shattering?
Welter, who has played for both women’s and men’s professional football leagues and holds a doctorate in psychology, is no stranger to record-breaking. She also became the first woman to ever hold a non-kicking position when she played running back for the Revolution last year. She’s tough and committed, but Welter asserted in an interview that it was the “heart factor” that she hopes to bring to the team with her new position. Welter will be working with inside linebackers during preseason training as an intern coach.
In my Cinderella story. I was transformed in a football uniform, helmet, & cleats not a gown, a crown, & heels! pic.twitter.com/7eBNCJiDjC
— Dr. Jen Welter (@jwelter47) June 18, 2015
We hope this amazing change will help open doors for women in professional sports, who have long suffered lower pay and disinterest in the media. Thank you, Dr. Welter, for being an inspiration to collegiette athletes everywhere!
Congrats Jen Welter, who joins the @AZCardinals as a training camp/preseason intern, coaching inside linebackers! pic.twitter.com/lPKAHqEFfq
— NFL (@NFL) July 28, 2015