As football season nears, it's nice to think about the female ATs in football! Over the off-season, there have been a lot of articles come out about female ATs being hired as full time or intern staff in the NFL. It's amazing, and Tiffany Morton is nothing short of that. The Kansas City Chiefs hired Morton as their first ever female AT. She started her schooling at Auburn University where she dreamed of going to medical school. She struggled through chemistry and lost her drive to pursue that. (Weird... Sound almost exactly like what I did! Anyone else in the same boat here?) After struggling, she took a personality test to see which direction she should go in. The test pointed her to athletic training. She found her passion in the profession and grabbed an internship with the Chiefs. Rick Burkholder himself sought out Morton after a conference she attended where she asked him the right questions and she made herself stand out. Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs stand-out wide receiver, was wondering when Rick Burkholder was going to hire her full time. Morton is now one of 5 female ATs in the NFL and Maclin has dubbed Morton his go-to AT. The players respect her and were ecstatic that she was hired full time. She blew the competition away in her interview. She carried herself well and they liked that. Burkholder was aware and looking for a certain dynamic when he hired Morton, a dynamic that involved a female in the ATR. She is treated as an athletic trainer, respected and held accountable. Morton is focused on being a good role model for all females in the profession. And I think she's doing a splendid job.
It's great to read stories like this. I have been in this profession for 4 years now and have tried to accomplish my dream of being a female AT in the NFL. It's hard when you aren't picked for an internship. You sit back and watch everyone else get the summer or seasonal internships and you don't get the chance to show them what you have. You get down on yourself... But then you hear stories like this that pick you up. Females are starting to get the jobs in the NFL. The teams see the value of a good athletic trainer, whether it's a male or female. The players don't treat females any differently. We are athletic trainers. We are professionals. We don't need to be treated differently. We need to show that we are just as good at the job, if not better, than our male counterparts. And Morton and the rest of the females in the NFL and other professional sports are doing just that. There are more females in the profession now, which mean opportunities are opening up.
Has anyone had an internship or worked for the NFL and want to share your story? Let me know... I would love to know how you got into the NFL, as it is still my dream job!
http://www.chiefs.com/news/article-2/Rick-Burkholder-Hoping-Tiffany-Morton-is-Start-of-New-NFL-Trend/5dc75bfe-fc3e-4bed-8a05-045024c2ee80
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