A woman to referee the Super Bowl

Nicolas Kohlhuber, Media365: published on Thursday January 21, 2021 at 09:49 am

Sarah Thomas was named among the referees who will officiate during the Super Bowl. It is the first time that a woman will have such a responsibility during the great mass of American football.

The Super Bowl LV which will take place on February 7 in Tampa will make history. For the first time in 55 editions, a woman will referee this meeting. This week, Sarah Thomas was named among the eight officials who will lead this meeting.. She will be responsible for the marking. The NFL publicly welcomed this event. “Sarah Thomas made history once again as the first official Super Bowl woman. His elite performances and commitment to excellence have earned him the right to officiate at the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah for this well deserved honor. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said in a statement.

This isn’t the first time the 47-year-old has made an appearance in the history books of American football. In 2015, she became the first full-time referee in the NFL. In 2019, during a New England Patriots – Los Angeles Chargers, she led a playoff game for the first time in her career. Since then, she has refereed three more before obtaining the right to participate in the Super Bowl. This honor is only reserved for referees who have been in the NFL for at least five years. This opportunity therefore presented itself quite early for this former basketball player. In academia, a necessary step before hoping to referee among professionals, she had already distinguished herself by paving the way for other women. Earlier this season, Sarah Thomas was also part of a 100% female referee trio for the Washington-Cleveland match. For the Super Bowl which we do not yet know the participants, she will be the only one. Carl Cheffers will be the main referee.