Who is the first NFL Black female referee, Maia Chaka?
Read to find out the first Black female official in the NFL.
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Maia Chaka (Image via CNN)
Football is predominantly a male sport, with everyone from the players to coaches being a man. The only women participating in the league are the cheerleaders who support the team and cheer them on in victory and in defeat. The same has been going on since the beginning of time, but in the past few years, changes have been made to encourage women’s equality and make them a part of the NFL.
While women can’t be swapped in for male players, they have started to take on coaching and officiating roles. The Arizona Cardinals became the first team to bring in this new age, where women are an active part of the league other than cheerleading. The Cards hired Dr. Jen Welters back in 2015, making her the first female coaching intern in the NFL. Since then, there have been many teams hiring female coaches for their franchises.
Apart from coaching, women also have started to make their appearances on the gridiron. Of course not as a player, but rather in an officiating position. As of now, there are three female referees with more making their way in the future. There is one special referee among these three that also represents a minority – African American.
So, let’s take a look at the first Black woman referee in the NFL.
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First NFL black female referee – Maia Chaka
Maia Chaka made history back in 2021 when she was hired as the first Black female to officiate an NFL game. She was the official for the New York Jets vs Carolina Panthers match on September 12, 2021. Chaka, 41, is a native of Rochester, New York, and is one of three female referees in the league. Sarah Thomas was the first female to ever officiate a game in the NFL way back in 2015. Robin DeLorenzo became the newest hire in 2022.
Maia Chaka was really ecstatic to be the first Black woman to be a referee in the NFL, which gave all the minority women hope that they too can become a part of the male dominant league. In a video released by the NFL ahead of Chaka’s first game officiating, she said, “This historic moment to me is an honor and it’s a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America, proving that I can defy the odds and overcome. But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture.”
Chaka also officiated college games before making her way to the NFL. She started her career in 2006 as a health and physical education teacher at Virginia Beach Central Academy. Since then, she has made several contributions to her community and inspired women all over the country. Maia Chaka is also a recipient of a lot of awards, including – the Orange Blossom Classic Breaking Barriers Award (2021) and Black Enterprise 40 under 40 Class of (2021).
The league is really grateful to have such a decorated woman officiate the matches and show the world the power of a woman. Let’s hope Chaka’s inspiring story motivates young girls to join the league in the future and put an end to all the hostile work environments and sexual harassment happening in the league.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)