The Super Bowl represents one of the most popular events related to sport, which takes a strong part in the culture of the people living in the United States, but many other parts of the world as well. The tradition of American families is to gather in front of TVs while enjoying snacks and beverages. Also, we have to mention the commercials. Each year, the pause during the game is reserved for promotions of big companies who are sponsors of the event, along with the performance of some popular pop stars. In that matter, this event is unique each year, not only for teams competing in the final but also for the spectacle organized by NFL.
Moreover, the event will be even more interesting this year, because it will be the first final where a woman was a referee. Sarah Thomas will be the first female in the history of the NFL that managed to become so successful as an official that organizers decided to promote her as the main referee in the final. The match that will become a part of history will be played between Tampa Bay and Kansas City. Before that, she was also the first woman in the college league as a referee, the first one who was an official for the whole game, and the first woman judge at the Big Ten stadium.
Furthermore, an even more interesting thing is related to those people who prefer sports betting. Many bookmakers have various offers related to Thomas, such as her color of hair, hairstyle, or even how many times the commentators will mention her during the game. There are many interesting offers each year during the final. Besides that, betting houses are known for such offers all the time. Also, we have to mention the rise in popularity of online bookkeepers in recent years. If you are interested in some of the best betting websites available in Canada, visit canadasportsbetting.ca.
Most Popular Wagers Related to Referee
We already mentioned that the most popular wager is related to which type of haircut she will be wearing, and whether she will wear a cap or not. Besides that, the very popular choice is related to the moment when the commentator will start speaking about her great achievement in the career. According to current wagers, the chances are much higher for mentioning her in the first half of the game. Another interesting option is betting on a situation where some players will accidentally knock her on the ground, which is not so rare in this sport. There is also an option to bet on whether some players will get in any form of physical contact with her, like touching her back and more.
Other Females in NFL
While she is the first one as a female judge in the final, there were many women active in NFL in previous years. When we look only from this aspect, the last year was important because we had the first female as an assistant of some team that reached the finals. It was Katie Sowers, the right hand of the coach of San Francisco. She also had many good words for Sarah and her latest achievement. Many other people who have a high status in this league are also positive about her performance in the upcoming event. She indeed deserved to be elected for the game, and she is showing that in recent years.
Therefore, the main reasons for selecting her are the experience and skills, rather than just the fact that she is a woman. Still, it is great news that will influence the higher popularity of this sport among women and the development of female football leagues, along with the bigger interest in becoming a coach or judge. Also, there will be other women included in the final, such as Julie Frymyer and Tiffany Morton, who are therapists for Kansas City, Lori Locust, who is going to be an assistant coach, Maral Javadifar, who is working as an assistant coach, and Carly Helfand, the scout for the Tampa Bay.
Canadian Influence
For many years, this sport was considered strictly as a male one, with the only minor influence of women. However, things started to change with the activities of Sam Rapoport, an NFL director from Ottawa in Canada, who started promoting this sport for women as well for males. With his presence, we can notice the great expansion of women being active as coaches, assistants, referees, therapists, and more. We can notice that most of the teams in the major league have at least one woman at some position, whether it is related to coaching, medical team, scouting, or some other part of the organization.
Moreover, Jennifer King is the first black female who started working in NFL, she is a coach of running backs. All of this news is very important as proof that the community is developing in a way where there will be no more place for any sort of discrimination. That was especially important for the Washington club since they have a long history of being accused as racists. Many black people hated it for its logo, nickname, and many other things. However, it seems like the times are changing positively.
It is interesting to see that the popularity of football is growing rapidly in recent years among women in the United States, and not only football but many other sports as well. Not that they are only active as players, but we can see a lot of them in high positions in male clubs as well. Naturally, males are more interested in playing this sport, since it requires physical strength and agility, but it is good that women are active in the organization, technical parts, strategies, and other fields. There are currently eight females who are working in NFL in various positions. On the other hand, we can notice that other male leagues are also having a rise of a woman active in clubs, like MLS, NBA, and more.
The Bottom Line
Besides the amazing career and achievements of Sarah Thomas, we also have to mention some other women active in male sports, such as Natalie Sago, who was one of three women as main judges at the NBA game between Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic, which was also the first case in the history to have all three referees to be females. It is crucial and groundbreaking for the future of the sport in the whole world. The main issue is that there is a taboo related to women active in any sport, especially in poorly developed countries. Even though it is not natural to combine male and female players because of the physical capabilities, there is no reason to don’t have them present in other parts of the club.
When it comes to Sarah, it is not so much of a surprise to see her active in the NFL since she had shown interest in this sport since early ages. Moreover, she has two brothers who were football players, which helped her to learn more about football and the main rules. Her professional career started in 2006 when she started working in the Conference league. Since then, she started breaking many records as the first female in American football, such as the first official of a major league game, bowl game, and later as a judge of the most popular football league. She is officially a judge in NFL since 2015. Before that, she was working for some pharmacy in sales.
This game will have a huge influence on the female population from the whole world. Also, everyone is expecting new records in terms of the number of people who are going to watch this event. Besides the fact that there will be a first woman as the main judge, the current situation with the pandemic has a huge influence on people, who are now more interested in staying at home and enjoying TV shows, movies, and other content available on TV channels and internet streaming services. Another factor that will cause an increase in viewers is the performer who will entertain people between two halves. The pop star Weekend will sing at this event. He is one of the most popular singers in the whole world.
With all of this news related to this event, another spectacle is guaranteed. We are still waiting to see a new set of commercials, which is another part of rich tradition at the Super Bowl. Therefore, we expect another interesting ad from popular companies like Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Cadillac, Instagram, and others who can invest in such promotion since half a minute will cost over $5 million. They are always trying to come up with something creative that can make people engaged.
