Leveling The Playing Field: Women Officials in Intramural Sports

Every year more women are breaking the glass ceiling in the corporate world and in a male dominated industry, women are pushing the boundaries on the field by becoming sporting officials.

 

In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official for the National Football League. This historic move by the NFL broke barriers for younger female officials including the ones in the Central Michigan University intramural sports program.

 

Two years prior, the NFL launched the “Women Officiating Now” program, often called “W.O.N.” The program gives women the opportunity to learn from former players, women officials, and NFL representatives in the classroom and on the field. According to CMU University Recreation Senior Assistant Director of Student Personnel and Training Development Kellie Schafer, “22 of our current 69 Intramural Officials and Intramural Supervisors at University Recreation are female [approximately 30%],” she said.

 

“I think it’s good for her for entering a profession where she is prone to greater ridicule than others may be. I feel like it’s also empowering to other women who many want to go into that field…literally,” said Jalen DeFlorio, 20, a CMU intramural sports official and supervisor.

Some women are born with the passion to work in sports, and some stumble upon officiating while looking for a part-time work.

CMU students, both male and female, come to Mount Pleasant searching for a job that will work well with their class schedules and some find job listings to be intramural sports referees.

 

“I played a lot of sports in high school and after I got to college I started looking for a job up here and I found an opening for an intramural official and thought it would be a cool way to stay involved in sports so I applied and now I’m on my third year working for them,” said Emily Austin, 22, a CMU intramural sports supervisor, who started as an official.

 

According to CMU intramural sports officials, the college programs are welcoming and improving their diversity.

James Barber, 20, who is in his third year officiating says he definitely works with more male officials but that CMU is doing a great job hiring more women as both referees and supervisors.

“I honestly never sensed any different treatment or difference from being a girl. I almost feel like the participants treated me better because they respect a girl being an official and being confident,” said DeFloria.

 

Barber thinks audiences will get more used to women officials and find them more credible the more often they see them on the field and on television, but right now he says women are seen as less powerful and less respected by players because unfortunately women aren’t always seen in authoritative positions.

 

Austin believes the issue is more of a mixed basket,”I think women are generally viewed as less capable or knowledgeable, not as much on a small level but more more in higher level games. I think women have to work harder to get jobs doing higher level games and there are not many women that officiate at those higher levels,” she said.

CMU is open to hiring as many women officials as possible according to Kenton Elworth, who is in charge of Officials’ Development and both DeFloria and Austin are examples of women who have received promotions in the past year.

 

“We want as much diversity in our program as possible because it makes for a better work place and fair officiating,” said Elworth.

DeFloria, Austin, and Barber agree on one thing: the more women that are seen at higher level sporting events and on television the more accepting and encourage women will feel as officials.

Sarah Thomas broke barriers by being the first woman to officiate in the NFL, and women like DeFloria and Austin are pushing to level the playing field everyday.