It felt like Christmas in September for football fanatics as the 2021 National Football League season kicked off. Week one produced exciting and historic headlines.
The defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers got things started on Thursday, September 9th as they battled the Dallas Cowboys. Down 29-28 with 1:24 left on the clock, quarterback Tom Brady drove his team down the field and put them in position to kick the game-winning field goal. He threw for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots decided to cut all-pro quarterback Cam Newton and start their 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones. Making his NFL debut, Jones threw for 282 yards and a touchdown. Despite the solid outing by Jones, New England fell short to Miami by a score of 17-16.
Due to the city of New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Ida, the New Orleans Saints had to play their home game in Jacksonville. As future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees gets comfortable in his studio analyst chair, Jameis Winston is getting comfortable on the football field as the Saints new starting quarterback. He led New Orleans to a 38-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Winston threw for 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Week one of the 2021 NFL season produced many eye-catching headlines. The most intriguing headline came out of Charlotte. The Carolina Panthers defeated the New York Jets by a count of 19-14. This game will go down as being historic. The significance of this competitive game isn’t directed towards the football players. This game is ascribable to a particular referee.
Maia Chaka made history on Sunday as she became the first Black female to officiate a regular season NFL game. During the contest featuring the Jets versus Panthers, she worked as a line judge. Chaka is just the third female to ever officiate an NFL game. She joins this limited club along with Shannon Eastin and Sarah Thomas.
A native of Rochester, New York, Maia Chaka graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Norfolk State University in 2006. She’s worked as a health and physical education teacher at Renaissance Academy in Virginia Beach, Va. Chaka was a high school referee for a period of time, and then she transitioned to the college game in 2010. She officiated college football in the Pac-12 and Conference USA.
In 2014 Chaka was selected to the NFL’s Officiating Development Program. It’s a program that identifies college officiating talent with the goal of providing them the experiences of an NFL official prior to determining if they have what it takes to make it as a referee in the National Football League. Chaka has reached her destination and she feels proud and privileged. “When I step on the field for the first time as an NFL official, it’s going to be a proud moment. It’s a proud moment for myself. It’s a proud moment for my family. It’s a proud moment for my community, and my students and co-workers. This historic moment to me is an honor and it’s a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women, and women of color in the most popular sport in America.”
Maia Chaka went from being a young girl who enjoyed playing football to a referee who is officiating her favorite sport at the highest level. Through years of hard work and perseverance, Maia Chaka has earned her spot in the NFL and etched her name into the record books.
