After five fast-paced months, 20 adrenaline filled weeks and 256 action packed games, the biggest question was finally answered. Out of all 32 teams, the two that were able to beat the odds to play in Super Bowl LIV were the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The game will air on Feb. 2 on FOX. The matchup will feature the talents of key players such as Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes and impactful defensive players like San Fransico 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.
While the lineup was already interesting, this game was made historic due to the fact that it includes the first female coach to ever participate in the Super Bowl.
Katie Sowers, offensive assistant coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, was hired two years ago and became the NFL’s second full-time female coach. Before becoming a coach, she was a football player for eight years in the Women’s Football Alliance. With the help of her planning and strategizing, the San Francisco 49ers rebounded from their 4-12 record in 2018 to an impressive 13-3 record in 2019. This rebound was possible through the improvement of their previously 27th ranked offense, which became the seventh most effective offense in the league.
Many people look up to Sowers as an inspiration since she successfully entered a predominantly male dominated career. She followed her dream and decided to live it well. Sowers paves the way for women to be football coaches by being on the Super Bowl stage which is watched worldwide.
As an english with licensure major, I have noticed that my education classes are not brimming to the gills in guys. This can be a little discouraging at times because I’m limited on people that I can relate to, and I think that comes naturally with jobs that tend to lean heavily toward one gender or another. Despite feeling out of place, teaching and education is something that I am passionate about, so, like Sowers, I’m not going to let that deter me from pursuing something I love wholeheartedly.
It isn’t always gender that separates people from groups of classmates or colleagues. It can be separation by experiences or skill sets too. If I had learned how to weld and decided I was passionate about it, I shouldn’t be discouraged when I see others who are way better at it. While they may be learning and practicing things that are more advanced than what I may be experiencing, I should keep my head up and see what I can contribute.
Sowers posted an inspirational tweet that read, “If your daughter has a dream of being a football coach in the NFL, or a ballerina, or a professional soccer player, or a teacher, or a nurse, or a doctor, or an astronaut, or even president. Just let her know this. She. Can. Do. It. And she will change the world.”
We are all going to face obstacles in the pursuit of our dreams, but it’s up to us to decide if we are going to let those obstacles stop us. We are capable of so much. God made us capable of so much. He made us in his image. He created us to be creators and doers, so I encourage you to be the best creator and doer you can be. Find something you are passionate about, make history and change the world, because you have the ability to do that no matter who you are or where you come from. We either make history or we sit back and witness it happen — it’s our choice to make.
Two teams will come together Feb. 2, both overcoming many obstacles to get there. Two teams of very different people who overcame so much just to be on these teams, will meet on that one night they dreamed of their entire lives. I encourage you to tune in to watch history being made.
