Lauren Silberman, a former club soccer player at Wisconsin and graduate student at MIT, made history as the first woman to try out for the National Football League.
In front of a packed house filled with media and other kickers, all male, Silberman booted what would soon be recorded as the first tryout kick by a woman in a male-dominated sport.
However, in the blink of an eye, the magic of this historical event soon lost its luster. In what should have gone down as a crowning and glorious achievement for the NFL, Silberman’s performance will forever be remembered as one that was tragically cut short.
After her groundbreaking kick, Silberman winced in pain and grabbed at her right leg; her attempt went only 19 yards.
Visibly disappointed and favoring her right leg, Silberman, who describes herself as a gamer, shook off the pain and attempted another kick. Much like the first, this effort too fell short, registering a mere 13 yards.
After calling for a trainer, it was agreed that the previous quadriceps injury she sustained in preparation for the event was limiting her ability and the first woman to tryout for an NFL squad withdrew from the field at the New York Jets’ practice facility, fighting off cameras along the way.
Despite her failure to kick as well as her male counterparts, Silberman had this to say about her historic performance.
“I’m just really happy I had this amazing experience,” Silberman said. “I might be the first woman trying out for the NFL, but I certainly hope I’m not the last.”
Though the performance will certainly not have teams racing to call her agent, Silberman could have the opportunity to kick again at other regional combines if the opportunity were to present itself. When asked about her kickoffs, Silberman quipped that, “they certainly didn’t go as far as they were in practices. The distance wasn’t there, but hopefully the scouts will notice my technique. It’s not always length.”
Scouts almost certainly owe the 28-year-old Silberman another chance. With an injury hampering performance, it is safe to say that the scouting process in incomplete. “I would certainly be very, very excited and happy if I had the opportunity to try again,” she said, “but it’s not up to me. It’s up to the scouts.”
This pioneering feat will no doubt be talked about for years to come, but to what extent. Will fans remember it as a break-through for women in a man’s game, or will others argue it as the world’s biggest publicity stunt gone wrong.
One thing is for sure, the NFL got even more publicity from a special teams player at a regional combine, an event that usually goes unrecognized with NFL Combine and Draft talk dominating discussion.
