Good morning! Supreme Court declines to hear cases against abortion clinic buffer zones, podcast company Audiochuck raises $40 million, and the NFL's 9th annual Women's Forum kicks off today. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
- Fair play. When the NFL launched its first Women's Forum in 2017, just one head coach and two club owners participated in the event, which aims to connect women working in college football roles with leaders in professional football. The women selected for the first cohort were excited for the opportunity, though a little unsure of exactly what the Forum had to offer.
Fast forward to today, and owners, coaches, and managers all view the Women's Forum as one of the top recruiting events for finding new talent. In fact, each of the NFL's 32 clubs is set to participate in the 9th annual event, which kicks off today at the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Over 450 women have participated in the Forum over the years, and 250 women have secured jobs in the league, the NFL says. Past participants include Salli Clavelle, the NFL’s first Black female scout, and Isabel Diaz, the Indianapolis Colts' first full-time woman coach.
Even more impressive are the strides the NFL has made overall in improving female representation in the same timeframe: The league has 15 full-time female coaches, the most of any professional men’s sports league in the world and a 47% increase from the 2021-2022 season. Every team has women in the scouting room or in player personnel roles. The Philadelphia Eagles' Autumn Lockwood—also a former Forum participant—made history this year as the first Black woman coach to be on a Super Bowl-winning team.
Sam Rapoport, the NFL's senior director of diversity and inclusion, helped launch the first Women’s Forum eight years ago, and says it is gratifying to see her hard work pay off. Even more satisfying, she says, is the knowledge that the NFL continues to stand behind and support diversity efforts.
"That's what happens when you have an intentional effort aimed at something that you know the league is passionate about and has been passionate about for a long time," Rapoport tells me.
Its mission is more important than ever as diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in corporate hiring come under fire by the Trump administration. But the NFL isn't backing down, says Rapoport, noting Commissioner Roger Goodell's recent comments reaffirming the league's commitment to diversity.
And like so many other DEI efforts, the intent of the Forum isn’t to be a "celebratory event for women," says Rapoport. Rather, it's to put highly qualified applicants who might otherwise not be given opportunities on a team’s radar.
"The only thing we are proposing is, there is a group of people who are underrepresented, who make up almost half of the NFL fan base who don't have access to the front door to get into professional sports, where men do," she says. "What we're asking is, give these women an opportunity to get a job."
It's all part of a broader cultural shift, says Rapoport, in which fans and players alike are being energized by women's sports—and women working in sports. Just look at all of the recent investments in women's sports leagues, or the NFL's exploration of professional flag football leagues for men and women.
The Forum typically includes a couple days of panel discussions, presentations, and networking events, where the 40 hand-selected participants can meet and learn from professional football staffers.
The clubs clearly see the benefit, Rapoport says. The Forum has turned into something of a talent competition, with teams coming prepared to make offers to potential hires on the spot. Apart from hiring, Rapoport points to other small victories, like ensuring female referees have the uniforms they need to be comfortable on the field. All that said, the Forum has only scratched the surface of what it hopes to do long-term, says Rapoport.
"We've done a great job at getting more women into the pipeline, as it pertains to people that deserve it and earn it," she says. "Where our work is now is making sure that [the NFL] creates an environment that allows for everyone to do their job as well as they can."
Alicia Adamczyk
alicia.adamczyk@fortune.com
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