Jen Pawol will be MLB's first
female umpire. Here are other women who broke officiating barriers
[August 07, 2025]
Shannon Eastin became the first female official in NFL history when
she was a line judge during a preseason game in August 2012 between
the Green Bay Packers and the Chargers, who were then in San Diego.
A month later, she became the first woman to be an official in an
NFL regular-season game when she worked as the line judge in the
Rams-Lions game. Eastin was among the replacement officials hired by
the league during a lockout of the regular officials.
The first woman to get a full-season job was Sarah Thomas, who was a
line judge in 2015. Thomas also became the first woman to work a
Super Bowl when she was part of the seven-person crew on Feb. 7,
2021, when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Patrick
Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9.
Thomas was already the first woman to officiate a major college
football game — and to work a bowl game.
NBA
Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner were hired by the National Basketball
Association for the 1997 season. Palmer made her NBA debut on Oct.
31, 1997, when she was on the floor for the season opener between
the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. Palmer worked that
night with Bill Oakes and Mark Wunderlich.
Kantner’s first game was Nov. 5, 1997, when Atlanta beat
Philadelphia 93-88. Kantner worked alongside Ron Garretson and Ed
Middleton. Palmer retired in 2016, and Kantner is still officiating
women's NCAA basketball.
NHL
The NHL has yet to have a female on-ice official for a regular
season or Stanley Cup playoff game.
In the mid-1990s, Heather McDaniel received some national attention
for officiating men's minor league games for the Central Hockey
League and West Coast Hockey League. Two decades later, the NHL
selected four female officials to work on the ice at the 2019
prospect tournaments. Katie Guay and Kelly Cooke served as referees,
while Kirsten Welsh and Kendall Hanley worked as linesmen. It marked
the first time women have officiated at the pre-training camp
prospects tournament level.
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Home plate umpire Jen Pawol takes her position during the first
inning of a spring training baseball game between the Houston Astros
and Miami Marlins Sunday, March 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
There was a subtle change made before the 2023-24
season when “linesmen” became “linespersons,” with women in the
American Hockey League working their way up.
Men's World Cup
French referee Stéphanie Frappart made history in 2022 by becoming
the first woman to be in charge of a men’s World Cup match. The game
between Germany at Costa Rica was held in Al Khor, Qatar.
Working the game with Frappart were two female assistants — Neuza
Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico.
Men’s NCAA tournament
Melanie Davis was the first woman to officiate a Division I NCAA
men’s tournament game when she was on the floor for a first-round
matchup between San Diego State and Illinois on March 15, 2002.
Leading into the historical game, Davis had officiated men’s
contests in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
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