At this year’s Super Bowl, Black women will be in the spotlight

Sunday’s Super Bowl marks the first time two Black quarterbacks — Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes — will start in the big game.

Philadelphia-area musician Adam Blackstone is the musical director for Rihanna’s sure-to-be-electric halftime show. I’m betting Jay-Z will join RiRi on stage for “Umbrella.” (After all, Roc Nation is behind the glitzy concert.) And Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” in what will surely be a soulful performance.

Black people are at the center of Super Bowl LVII and given the NFL’s dismal track record on race relations, I’m pleased we’re making moves on the field and on stage. But what warms my heart — and gives me hope for a more equitable future — are the number of Black women who are managing players, keeping them fit, and making game day decisions in the spotlight.

The sports world is abuzz over Eagles’ assistant conditioning coach Autumn Lockwood, who on Sunday, will become the first Black woman to coach in the Super Bowl. Twin chefs Kala and Maya Johnson are getting attention for opening their Elkins Park restaurant, FoodChasers, to Hurts and his family after the Eagles cinched the NFC Championship.

» READ MORE: FoodChasers’ Kitchen is a lesson in the restaurant business for two retired school principals

Black women are being seen. And at this Super Bowl, we are being recognized for more than singing and fashion. The invisibility cloak we involuntarily wear is melting as we are sought out for top jobs in this male-dominated space where women have historically been visible as cheerleaders and wives rather than coaches and finance directors.

A lot of this excitement about Black women at Super Bowl LVII revolves around Jalen Hurts’ all-female management team, three of whom are Black. Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, reached out to Hurts through Instagram during his senior year at the University of Oklahoma back in 2020, hoping the then-college senior might need representation. Lynn has been Hurts’ agent since he was drafted to the Birds in 2020 as the team’s third-string quarterback.

Lynn told Sports Illustrated that colleagues treat her as if she’s incapable of negotiating with men. They don’t see her skill, she said, because she’s a woman. Hurts, however, told the magazine he was impressed with Lynn’s drive, comparing it to his. Lynn, along with Hurts’ media relations experts Chantal Romain and Shakeemah Simmons-Winter, are part of the Black-owned, Los Angeles-based Klutch Sports Group. Hurts described the women in his management crew as “hustlers.”

“I admire anyone who puts their head down and works for what they want,” Hurts told SI. “And I know women who do that daily, but they don’t get the same praise as men — they don’t get the praise that they deserve. I’ve seen that now with tons of different women in my life that are hustlers. Athletes, coaches, women in the business world of sports. I see it all the time. And they deserve their flowers, too. So if me saying something about it brings more attention to it, then I’m all for that.”

It’s important to put Black women’s work on the record so our impact can’t be disputed. Especially while politicians and educators actively silence Black women like Nikole Hannah-Jones, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and the late bell hooks through book bans and by removing their teachings from Advanced Placement courses. These women fought to ensure Black women’s contributions are accurately reflected in American history.

Representation also proves that our looks, style, and tone are important to society. It is a reminder that work still needs to be done, because in 2023, we are still using the words “first,” “Black,” and “woman” to describe Lynn’s position and Lockwood’s coaching this weekend even though they are important decision-makers. These women — in fact all Black women — are worthy of so much more.

It’s not lost on me that it often takes women’s participation in male-dominated spaces — like football — to be seen as more than the help. Visibility expands the possibilities of all women who have longed to feel welcomed.

The more Black girls see Black women demanding — and receiving — respect, the more they will, too. And no matter who wins this year’s Super Bowl, Black women have an excellent chance of coming out on top.