On February 2nd, 2020, Katie Sowers became the first woman and openly gay person to coach
in a Super Bowl.
An offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers, Sowers' road to the NFL coaching ranks
was difficult.
Huddle up and let's run through the untold truth of Katie Sowers.
While Katie Sowers was already living openly in her private life, she came out publicly
as lesbian during a 2017 interview with Outsports.
Her decision to discuss her sexual orientation, which made her the first openly gay coach
in the NFL, was about being honest with herself even when that decision was far from easy
in a pro football environment.
Sowers told the publication,
"No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who
you are.
There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not
feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation."
As a leader on the practice field, Sowers chose to lead in helping to usher in an era
of queer acceptance in the NFL.
She continued,
"The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their
race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden
that many carry every day."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Gay figures in sports have often been held back over perceptions that their sexuality
could be distracting or divisive.
But from what the players have to say, the San Francisco 49ers absolutely love having
Sowers on their side.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo joined the team after Sowers had already established herself,
and from what he told San Francisco's CBS 5, he sounds impressed by the quality of her
work.
"She's been tremendous.
What she does with the receivers, all the skill positions guys, how she interacts with
them.
It's special."
Meanwhile, wide receiver Dante Pettis said that Sowers is a valuable resource for both
game strategy and emotional support.
"There's a lot of times where, like, if we have questions about a play, we can ask her,
and she always helps.
And there's times where she'll check in on me if I have a tough game or whatever.
She's always saying, 'You good?' and 'Just know you're important to this team,' and stuff
like that.
It's pretty cool to have someone like that around every day."
Similarly, wide receiver Richie James praised Sowers' love of the game and infectious personality.
James complimented the coach by saying,
"She loves the game as much as we do.
You gotta respect it...And she's really funny, to be honest with you, and she can relate
to us more than you'd think."
Some of the players coached by Sowers are even tired of fielding questions about her,
like Emmanuel Sanders, who sees the team's trailblazer as just another coach in a good
way.
"Katie's just one of the coaches, you know?
I don't really put too much emphasis on 'oh, she's a female coach.'
Nah.
She's just one of the coaches, so."
During her interview with Outsports, Sowers revealed that she was once turned down for
a volunteer basketball coaching job over her sexuality as she was finishing college in
2009.
She said,
"I was told 'because of your lifestyle, we ask that you do not come around the team.'
That moment really impacted me because it was the first time I truly felt judged because
of my sexual orientation."
In January 2020, Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus released a statement apologizing
to Sowers, claiming that the school instituted a non-discrimination policy after Sowers'
departure.
The statement read in part,
"We are very proud of all that our alumna Katie Sowers '09...has achieved in her life
and the ways that she leads on and off the football field with authenticity, grace and
excellence.
Sadly, in 2009, our policies and the laws of Indiana allowed for hiring decisions to
consider sexual orientation.
I am glad that Goshen College adopted a new non-discrimination policy in 2015, and I am
thankful for the leaders before me who brought this change about."
Sowers responded to the apology by saying that she loved her time at Goshen College,
and while the experience of discrimination deeply stung, it ultimately put her on a path
back toward football and the Super Bowl.
"That experience actually led me to football, and led me to a second chance at the game
I originally loved the most."
During a 2019 interview on Fox Sports 1's Fair Game with Kristine Leahy, Katie Sowers
revealed that an unnamed NFL executive once told her his team wasn't prepared to add a
woman to its coaching staff.
Sowers went on to explain how this made her work even harder to fulfill her dream.
"Although I hated hearing that, I loved the honesty.
Because it meant that the words that he was saying was coming from the foundation of ignorance
of the organization.
But he understood the ignorance.
Oftentimes we get caught up in what's politically correct and hearing all these words that make
us feel better...when often it could be lies.
I'd rather hear the truth and ignorance.
That's where we create change."
While Katie Sowers may currently be an offensive assistant coach, don't think for a minute
that she's about to stop there because she's ready to go all the way to the top.
Speaking to NBC Sports in 2020, Sowers revealed that she could "absolutely" become a head
coach in the NFL, and was already actively working toward that goal.
"Wherever I can impact the game, I will continue to work and to be the best I can be and if
that opportunity comes up, and that's where I will truly be a game-changer, that's the
step I'll take."
During Super Bowl LIV's media week, Sowers used her experience of being discriminated
against, and her team's resilience in reaching the big game, as proof that anything can happen.
She told NBC Sports,
"Look at me now.
Look at us now.
All these guys up here, all these coaches, they've been doubted in their lives.
They've faced adversity.
We all have.
All you can do is just continue to grind, continue to work and show everybody what you're
capable of."
Despite having several disadvantages stacked against her, Katie Sowers became an NFL coach.
It was a long road to get there, and the journey is far from over.
She spoke about those disadvantages during an interview with the Washington Post in 2020,
saying,
"I didn't have the opportunity to play on a college team.
I didn't have the opportunity to break down film.
I didn't have the opportunity to network like a lot of people did.
But I was up for the challenge."
Although she fought hard to achieve her dream and become a trailblazer in the league, Sowers
still sometimes has trouble believing that she's really there.
She continued,
"I'm waiting for someone to tell me this is all a joke, and they're going to be like,
'Sike you're not really there; you're not really a football coach.'
It's one of those things that, you really start to look around you and take advantage
of every single day."
But just like with everything else in Sowers' life, she's using this opportunity and her
position to help pave the way for others.
"Being the first, it is historic.
There always has to be a first to make change.
But the most important thing that I continue to say is just to make sure I'm not the last."
Microsoft's Super Bowl LIV commercial, "Be the One," celebrated Katie Sowers by showing
her journey from a young girl who loved football to becoming an NFL coach.
In the minute-long ad, Sowers reads her childhood journals, reminiscing about her journey from
a young dreamer to a Super Bowl coach.
The ad didn't just celebrate Sowers; according to GLAAD, it also brought much-needed LGBTQ
inclusion to advertising's biggest night.
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement,
"GLAAD has long been advocating for brands to feature LGBTQ people in ads and we cannot
wait for American families to see and cheer on so many diverse LGBTQ icons it's about
time."
Just over a week after initially airing, the ad has over 16 million views on YouTube, making
Sowers a big winner in more ways than one.
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