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Sarah Thomas to be the First Woman to Ref a Super Bowl

Down Judge Sarah Thomas makes a call during a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. The Packers defeated the Cowboys 34-24.
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The National Football League announced that Sarah Thomas will become the first womxn to officiate at the league’s biggest annual championship event. Thomas will be joining the referee crew at Super Bowl LV to be held in Tampa, Florida (home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the GOAT, quarterback Tom Brady) on Sunday, February 7, 2021. 

Related: How Kim Ng is making history as the first Asian female GM in Major League Baseball.

Thomas has been an on-field ref for the NFL since 2015 and has in that time acquired the reputation as one of the best refs. She has refereed a total of four post-season games, but never a Super Bowl until now, in her six years with the league. To qualify for the Super Bowl officiating crew, the prospective ref needs to meet a minimum of five years of experience as well as a positive track record of in-season performance.   

See also: First open LGBTQ+ couple in sports to appear in ESPN’s body issue is engaged.

In a statement, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said: “Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official. Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor.”

Related: 10 stigmas womxn still face every day



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