49ers new coach: Katie Sowers breaking ground amid possibility of bigotry

The San Francisco 49ers’ hiring of Katie Sowers, the NFL’s second female coach, marks a groundbreaking moment for women in sports and the LGBT community.

It has become blatantly obvious that the general media is attached to anything that might create any controversy.

Whether it is players garnering attention through kneeling during the national anthem or any general break from the norm that might create grandpa’s heart to flutter over some new social construct.

The San Francisco 49ers have, once more, opened a subject of media concentration.

San Francisco 49ers

After the Colin Kaepernick 2016 stance against government representation, in regards to racial bigotry on a law enforcement level, San Francisco is immediately targeted for reasons of not only allowing a woman to join the coaching ranks, but one that is openly gay or something.

Allow me to address the “or something” in this matter.

It was a monumental achievement when intern Katie Sowers was promoted to the permanent staff because she was a woman, who earned her position through a regiment of proving grounds that every other man would also experience.

Sowers has a proven track record and time with the team that earned her position. Her gender and sexuality have nothing to do with her ability to coach and create an atmosphere head coach Kyle Shanahan prescribes.

It has been made apparent Shanahan is all about efficient and creative game play throughout his entire decision-making process with the team. If Shanahan and the front office found Sowers to be the best candidate for a coaching position through performance, than this decision would never be questioned or reported on if it had been a quiet Mr. Sowers.

Because it is a female, then it is a story. It is a story because it is a first.

These are benchmarks that can be recorded, but the reasons they are necessarily followed is something else entirely. Sowers might fail, Sowers might be great. The most important thing that we must observe is Sowers is no different than every other coach that came before her.

Sowers has elected to make her sexual orientation public. OK, number one, sexual orientation is irrelevant. The need to make all things public right out of the gate is understood. But if you are to report on it, than you need to supersede tabloids and actually address Sowers’ credentials. This is not a political appointment.

Katie Sowers has a legitimate background and earned her position with the team the same way that any other coach would have. Her resume is solid and the reason she was hired for her position has nothing to do with her gender or sexual orientation.

Every story that highlights anything other than her resume and appointment is nothing more than a bait at bigotry. Any male coach that achieved the same accolades as

Sowers and was hired or promoted to the same position would be a non story.

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She could fail tomorrow or rise through the ranks and push towards a more predominant coaching position in the future. We can only hope her gender and sexual orientation won’t be the story that is presented to the masses, and we instead choose to celebrate her groundbreaking accomplishments.