NFL Hires First Woman Referee

Maybe there’s a reason to watch football after all.  The National Football League, known best for widowing millions of wives and girlfriends on Sunday afternoons, has broken the gender barrier. Not with female players, but with the first female referee.

Shannon Eastin, a high school and small college football official, is getting called up to play with the big boys or at least referee them. The regular NFL officials have been holding since June out becasue of a dispute over pay and benefits. This left an opportunity to Eastin, and other small program referees, to come in and officiate the NFL pre-season exhibition games.

Ed Hochuli, known as much for his giant biceps as he is for officiating NFL games over the past two decades said, "There certainly is no reason that women can't work as officials in the NFL.” Let’s see if he feels the same way if Eastin replaces him permanently after the lockout. Eastin will make her debut this Thursday in San Diego when the Chargers host the Green Bay Packers.

Although there are still more walls and "ceilings" to come down in the battle for equality, woman can now call men out, tell them they’re wrong and penalize them on national TV.