Women Making History at the Super Bowl: On the Field, Overhead and Onstage
It started with a fly-over.
For the first time in NFL history, the Super Bowl pre-game flyover was piloted by all women, in honor of 50 years of female US Navy pilots. Led in diamond formation by Lt. Peggy Dente, Lt. Arielle Ash and Lt. Saree Moreno, the group of seven paid homage to those who preceded them and gave an encouraging nod to girls watching.
"It's not lost on me how special it is that I get to do what I'm doing today because they did it first," Dente told CBS Sports in reference to the nation’s early female pilots, and Ash added, "It's definitely a huge honor to be asked to do this and to celebrate those women that have paved this way for all of us."
"I think it's a message not just to young girls, but to young people that they can do whatever they set their mind to," Moreno said meaningfully, noting the impact of their flight on the next generation. "And if they want to be a jet pilot, that is well within possibility for them."
But the night had just started.
After Sheryl Lee Ralph performed Lift Every Voice, Chris Stapleton sang the National Anthem, and the coin toss honored four Pat Tillman scholars, more history was made on the field as the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Eagles Assistant Coach Autumn Lockwood became the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl game. Joining Katie Sowers (San Francisco 49ers), Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Lockwood is the fourth woman ever to coach in a Super Bowl, and she recognizes the impact this has for her role models and those who will follow.
“Grateful for these ladies and for all women in sports that have led the way and have been the light for me and so many others,” she tweeted two weeks ago on National Women and Girls in Sports Day, and we were grateful right back.
By halftime, we were on our feet and staying there. Rihanna soared – literally – above the stadium and rocked her greatest hits in red. Interviewed prior to the game, her first live event in seven years and just three months after having her son, she said, “…when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world. You can do anything, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world.”
“So, as scary as that was,” she continued, “there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation.” And represent she did, confirming her second pregnancy with moves that showed the world how working moms work.
And the mom vibe continued when every so often the camera found Donna Kelce, mom of Travis and Jason Kelce. The first mother to have two children playing in the Super Bowl in the same year, Kelce engaged fans with her dual-team jersey and heartfelt comments to her sons.
"I knew you guys were talented,” she told her boys on their New Heights podcast. “I knew you had the perseverance; I knew that you would be able to...it's just you don't know how your children will relate nationally."
"It worked out that everything aligned just perfectly,” she added, “on how you were able to play, get on the field, show your talents."
And listening to Kelce’s words it’s hard not to smile. Because show your talents is exactly what we want girls to do.
And exactly what both teams did – with a fourth quarter nail-biter ending In a 38-35 victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Post-game takeaway? To all the girls who watched the game last night and everyone scrolling through replays this morning – show your talents.
Pursue your goals.
Take the field and change the game.
Barrier-breaking coaches, Navy pilots and rockstars are cheering you on.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three epic Super Bowl commercials we can’t stop watching: Bradley Cooper and his Mom Attempting a T-Mobile Commercial, Maya Rudolph's M&M Commercial and Forever (Superbowl) 60: The Farmer’s Dog. Have another favorite? Let me know!
