Will a female ever play a down in the NFL? (1 Viewer)

[JAA]

Please discuss.

While there are a number of physical differences between men and women, it seems improbable that a female simply cant be good enough to play in the NFL. A kicker or punter would be an obvious choice for a position simply because there isnt much hitting.

I think the best shot is some sort of publicity stunt. However, would the NFL even allow it due to the potential outcry to grown men hitting a woman?

 

[Pots]

This isn't even a topic of discussion.

 

[AnonymousBob]

If there's a female good enough to play, there's no reason she shouldn't be allowed. Not sure I would want to date her though.

 

[JAA]

This isn't even a topic of discussion.

Why? Is it against the rules? What specifically precludes this from happening?

 

[Bankerguy]

I voted no.

The only chance is a kicker....end of discussion.

 

[Sweet Love]

If I was a QB I would take some of those 700lb women on my line for obvious pass plays.

 

[Pots]

This isn't even a topic of discussion.

Why? Is it against the rules? What specifically precludes this from happening?

Nothing in the rules, just a stupid question with an obvious answer and no purpose/point IMO.

 

[JAA]

This isn't even a topic of discussion.

Why? Is it against the rules? What specifically precludes this from happening?

Nothing in the rules, just a stupid question with an obvious answer and no purpose/point IMO.

Your precise knowledge of football past, present, and future preceeds your existence.

 

[John 14:6]

Potential line-woman?

 

[David Yudkin]

IMO, there might be a slim chance at PK provided she had the distance and accuracy required. I'm no physiology expert, but if men biologically can kick farther then the chances go down to next to nothing. I suspect it would have to be a team lacking in attendance and looking to put fannies in the seats.

 

[BigTex]

JAA, this pole is flawed. There should be a "Hell NO!" option.

Unless the prophecy spoken of by Chase comes to pass.

 

[JAA]

Looking at the Olympic 100-meter dash records, women are only behind by 1 second. While 1 second in "the dash" is an eternity, Im not sure the NFL would also consider it "an entirety".

 

[Warhogs]

Another no vote. I can not even see it happening as a publicity stunt due to the NFL not wanting to go there and the need to create a roster spot for the potential publicity stunt. I am assuming regular season. I could see the possibility as a publicity stunt in a preseason game.

 

[David Yudkin]

Looking at the Olympic 100-meter dash records, women are only behind by 1 second. While 1 second in "the dash" is an eternity, Im not sure the NFL would also consider it "an entirety".

Actually, in NFL terms a tenth of a second can be considered eternity in defining breakaway speed. So that probably isn't the best example to go with on this one.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

How has this thread gotten this far without somebody mentioning Terry Glenn?

 

[jafo]

 

[Chase Stuart]

Considering this question is "ever", I'd say the answer is an obvious yes. If 100 monkeys can type Shakespeare, then the daughter of Venus Williams and Terrell Owens can probably make it into the NFL.

 

[aposulli]

How has this thread gotten this far without somebody mentioning Terry Glenn?

...was JUST about to

 

[AnonymousBob]

What a slow offseason.

 

[Pots]

Considering this question is "ever", I'd say the answer is an obvious yes. If 100 monkeys can type Shakespeare, then the daughter of Venus Williams and Terrell Owens can probably make it into the NFL.

I hope not. Picturing that baby on a team would make you forget all about the owens fiasco.

 

[aposulli]

Considering this question is "ever", I'd say the answer is an obvious yes. If 100 monkeys can type Shakespeare, then the daughter of Venus Williams and Terrell Owens can probably make it into the NFL.

In all seriousness, this guy has it right.you think this will NEVER happen?

I think the chances are great that the NFL will be around 100+ years from now (barring name and rules changes), so why not?

Someday, somewhere a woman will come along that has more athletic ability that 99% of men.

The only thing that would be holding a woman back if she had the talent is the opportunity, which obviously is a HUGE hurdle today. But considering how far women's standing in society has come in the past 70 years alone, you don't think they will be given every opportunity 100-200 years from now?

More like Venus Williams' great great grandaughter. But the question was "ever" so I have to agree.

My prediction: We will see a woman kicker in the NFL no later than 2150. Hell, we already saw one in college!

 

[Wadsworth]

I played rugby for years and there were some female rugby players that played with the men that did decently well. The problems the females had was never toughness. Those were some tough women. But they were slower and weaker than the men in almost every case. That will be the issue with females playing in the NFL.

The guys in the NFL that aren't tough(kickers aside) are generally the CBs and WRs with world class speed. The women wouldn't have the speed to fill this role. And while there are certainly some very tough female athletes, so far they aren't close to ready for the speed and strength involved in NFL play.

So perhaps "never" isn't realistic, but we are talking decades at the very least.

And I don't think kickers should count in this debate. Half of them aren't really football players and at times I've question if some of them were men already.

 

[BigTex]

Considering this question is "ever", I'd say the answer is an obvious yes. If 100 monkeys can type Shakespeare, then the daughter of Venus Williams and Terrell Owens can probably make it into the NFL.

I'll now edit my post.

 

[JAA]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next. I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are). We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR. Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

 

[TLEF316]

serious specialized breeding would have to occur over several generations for a woman to have any shot anwhere but place kicker.

 

[Pots]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next. I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are). We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR. Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

We're talking about contact sport. Not Golf or Tennis. Cmon!As for women in Indy car racing, still not a contact sport, and it's mainly a publicity stunt since Nascar has Indy by the balls and the best DP has ever done in her career so far is leading 1 lap in the Indy 500. Woohoo!

 

[Bankerguy]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next.  I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are).  We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR.  Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

We're talking about contact sport. Not Golf or Tennis. Cmon!As for women in Indy car racing, still not a contact sport, and it's mainly a publicity stunt since Nascar has Indy by the balls and the best DP has ever done in her career so far is leading 1 lap in the Indy 500. Woohoo!

This is silly.

 

[GregR_2]

Someday, somewhere a woman will come along that has more athletic ability that 99% of men.

Yes, but the NFL is already populated with the top 99.999% of men at their position. That's who she has to beat out, not a bunch of couch potato computer users like us.

 

[CalBear]

"Ever" is a long time. But I think it's safe to assume that the NFL is likely to last in something similar to its current form as long as the United States continues as a coherent and dominant entity, and as long as that is the case, no woman will play in the NFL. Look at the barriers just to having a single female kicker in the NCAA; now imagine how many women would have to be kicking in the NCAA for one of them to be considered among the top four or five at the position.

Once the country collapses, football will likely change, and once it's more of a club sport like rounders or croquet, there will probably be opportunities for women. But it's not likely to be called the NFL at that point.

 

[Pots]

Someday, somewhere a woman will come along that has more athletic ability that 99% of men.

Yes, but the NFL is already populated with the top 99.999% of men at their position. That's who she has to beat out, not a bunch of couch potato computer users like us.

Samkon Gado recently learned how to use a computer. ANd some say he's a little pudgy and he still has a job in the NFL. Though it took him a year to figure out how to post a blog on his own friggin website.

 

[Velcro]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next. I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are). We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR. Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

Golf - Women may be knocking on the door, but realistically they are physically limited in how well they'll do. Anika or Michelle Wie simply don't hit the ball as far as the men do. And at the pro level, where the top players are forcing the PGA to lengthen the holes, even many men that aren't long ball hitters are getting left behind.Tennis - Again, the women do not serve as hard as the men, which will put them at a very significant disadvantage.

Volleyball - Why do you think it's "certainly there"? Women's nets are lower than men's nets.

NASCAR - I'm out of my league on this one. I don't really understand the physical demands required to drive an Indy car, but since Danica Patrick hasn't been competitive and Indy racing relies heavily on advertising and sponsorships, there may be an argument that this is more publicity stunt than equal competition.

Ultimately, it is highly, highly unlikely that a woman could compete at the pro level in almost any male sport. Even in marathons, there has never been a woman overall winner.

 

[Assani Fisher]

I don't think any of the pro leagues in the U.S. will ever allow women into a contact sport with men. Ever.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

A kicker or punter would be an obvious choice for a position simply because there isnt much hitting.

Except that men generally kick and punt better than women. I think a woman will crack the top 32 kickers/punters in the world at about the same time that a woman cracks the top 32 tennis players in the world. Which is to say, I don't think it will happen in the foreseeable future.

 

[Wadsworth]

Kickers aside, I'm guessing some of you guys haven't seen how big, strong and fast some women have gotten recently. I played rugby with a girl that was 5'10", 190 lbs, likely ran around 4.6-4.7 40 yard dash and was tough as 10 year old beef jerky. Now that's not close to ready for the NFL now, but they are certainly leaps and bounds beyond were women were 20 years ago. There are actually some women playing high school football right now at non-kicker positions. At some point one golden child will develop. The female version of LeBron James. I might not live to see it and I'm planning on living for a long time, but it will happen.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I think volleyball is certainly there

How so?

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

I said yes. His question was ever and not being Nostradomus (sp?) I can see an NFL team making a pre-season publicity stunt to have a woman play at least one down in an NFL game. I am sure the next Eddie Gidel, Manon Reaume is out there or soon will be out there. Shoot in the 4th quarter of the first preseason of a game you can't tell me some team makes a publicity stunt to place a woman at WR or kicker or punter.

 

[P Boy]

This isn't even a topic of discussion.

What specifically precludes this from happening?

The fundamanetal physiological differences between men & women and the fact that performance enhancing substances are closely monitored in the NFL.I agree. This is not a topic worthy of discussion. It's not a matter of whether the women would be allowed to play but rather could a women reach the athletic capability to compete in the NFL. The answer is currently no, and will continue to be so until significant fundamantal changes occur in the basic female physiological construction that would allow for competition at an equal level.

 

[Dancing Bear]

There are roughly 1,700 NFL players on rosters today [all men]. In any given year we might have an influx of 224 new collegiates.

These players are whittled down from nearly 1,300 NCAA schools and over 360,000 potential NCAA athletes [210,000 men and 150,000 women].

That is 0.06% of the athletes that make it to the NFL; 0.11% men and 0.00% women.

There are no other sports where a women competes literally or figuratively nose-to-nose professionally. Not even a sport like pool. Why would Football [one of the most physical] be the one where a women might make it? I just cannot see it.

Golf maybe. Tennis maybe. Even possibly Baseball. These games are combination of strength, accuracy, strategy and guile.

Cycling no. Track & Field no. Skiiing no. Swimming no. Soccer no. Basketball no. Football no. These sports rely much more on strength and physical nature. As good as Mia Hamm was [and she was absolutely incredible!], do any of us really believe that she could be playing for the USA Men's National team?

 

[JAA]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next.  I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are).  We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR.  Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

We're talking about contact sport. Not Golf or Tennis. Cmon!As for women in Indy car racing, still not a contact sport, and it's mainly a publicity stunt since Nascar has Indy by the balls and the best DP has ever done in her career so far is leading 1 lap in the Indy 500. Woohoo!

Uh, considering she is poling in the top 10, I think your point is moot

 

[Chase Stuart]

Something tells me eventually some woman will eventually match the physical prowess of Eric Parker.

 

[Warhogs]

Another determining factor that is somewhat hard to predict is the most athletic women may be much better off financially to compete in a different sport that would earn them more money than football. I know football contracts are big for superstars but if we are talking about say a kicker that may earn a roster spot that athlete can probably earn a ton more money dominating a different sport.

 

[The Mechanic]

Personally, I'm thinking JAA is just trying to score points, and justify his time on this forum, with "The Wife".

 

[Knocks]

A kicker or punter would be an obvious choice for a position simply because there isnt much hitting.

Except that men generally kick and punt better than women. I think a woman will crack the top 32 kickers/punters in the world at about the same time that a woman cracks the top 32 tennis players in the world. Which is to say, I don't think it will happen in the foreseeable future.

There will always be enough male kickers who are better/stronger than women. I dont think we will ever see one.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Something tells me eventually some woman will eventually match the physical prowess of Eric Parker.

But by then, Eric Parker's prowess won't cut it either.I'm sure that today's best female basketball players could have competed and done very well in the NBA of the 1940s. And the best women from 2050 may be able compete and do well in the NBA of today. But the NBA of 2050 will be far ahead of that.

 

[derek19]

Another thing to consider, while Golf may not be in the same solar system as the NFL, women are currently knocking at the door.

I think tennis might be next. I think volleyball is certainly there, not sure why there arent any women playing in mens leagues (maybe there are). We have a women in Indy car racing, it is only a matter of time before a woman makes it to NASCAR. Women seem to beat men out in 3-point shooting contents.

Im not saying a women to make it to the pro-bowl, simply compete.

We're talking about contact sport. Not Golf or Tennis. Cmon!As for women in Indy car racing, still not a contact sport, and it's mainly a publicity stunt since Nascar has Indy by the balls and the best DP has ever done in her career so far is leading 1 lap in the Indy 500. Woohoo!

How many laps have you led in the Indy 500?

 

[reg]

Yes [ 24 ] [23.76%] No [ 76 ] [75.25%] Total Votes: 100

Damn null voters.

 

[P Boy]

I'm sure that today's best female basketball players could have competed and done very well in the NBA of the 1940s. And the best women from 2050 may be able compete and do well in the NBA of today. But the NBA of 2050 will be far ahead of that.

You apparently haven't been watching the decline in the fundamental skills in NBA players over the past couple of decades. Hell, a shot from the elbow that used to be money is now a ridiculously outrageous adventure. NBA players have no problem with shooting 60% or worse from the free throw line. The only pick that current NBA players know is that which relieves their nose of a booger.They ought to play the NBA the way Iowa girls' basketball used to play - put 3 players on the O end & 3 players on the D end and not let them cross midcourt of their respectives zones - at least we some some guys attempting to play D then.

 

[Red Herring]

Yes [ 24 ]   [23.76%]

No [ 76 ]   [75.25%]

Total Votes: 100

Damn null voters.

76+24=100ETA: i voted yes. I think the first woman in the sport will be on the OL. It would be very hard for a woman to compete speed-wise in the NFL, but its easier to build strength. I've known a few women with the size and mean-streak for it. With training I think you can get the strength and technique up to NFL levels.

As far as kickers, I'd guess that someone like Abby Wambach would at least have a good shot in the NFL. I'd question accuracy, but if you can kick a soccer ball close to the length of the field, I'd guess kicking a football 40-50 yards wouldnt be that hard.

 

[jerseys finest]

kicker or punter are the only real viable positions i could see a female playing in the NFL..

with the size increase of men in the nfl in the last 20 years, it just seems extremely improbableor a woman to play any other position then K/P

 

[Red Apples]

f-ing crazy a women cant compete against the best men in football.

the best women against us...sure.

against the best men, they would be killed. its two completely different genders in a sport that relies on strength.

why are we even asking this?