Cue the trolls, am I right? Thomas, though she’s not officially the first female official for the NFL (look up Shannon Eastin), has been at this for a long time. However, the anti-equality camp who wants to keep things traditional, so they can benefit from the promises they were given in a patriarchal bent society, will complain that she is incapable. If she isn’t incapable, then she simply doesn’t belong by virtue of her anatomy. How they come up with this stuff, well it’s historical, really. History is full of this type of attitude and it was firmly believed that women were the weaker sex for thousands of years, despite the action of childbirth which would simply kill men, or even her monthly ‘flux’ as they used to call it. Good luck with the cramps boys, since you cry so hard after Taco Bell rearranges your insides. Not to mention how the least bit of stress or discord sends them into a rage. But, the fact the traditional social roles are based on ‘how we want things’ and not reality, it will be hard to overcome the thinking–cognitive dissonance can cause some pretty entrenched folks. What doesn’t help is the women who will be out there trying to curry favor with this type of fella, putting down her fellow woman. Is that really worth getting laid for? Don’t you think you deserve better than that? One has to wonder.
Regardless, Thomas is about to field a lot of trolls who’s heads are exploding, and a sea of in-betweens who will scoff at her hiring. It is a heavy burden she carries, as her reaction will either chip away at patriarchy, or reinforce it. Thomas may not be the person for the job, but she’s been doing it for years and has proven herself worth this shot. Whether she is successful or not shouldn’t be predicated on her anatomy.
Report: NFL to hire Sarah Thomas as first female game official – CBSSports.com
