Could Carli Lloyd swap a soccer ball for a real football?
When Carli Lloyd took a trip to the Philadelphia Eagles, most people just assumed this was another one of those publicity stunt visits that she and other famous athletes have made before. What we didn’t expect was an NFL Hall of Fame Executive to suggest that teams across the NFL consider giving the professional soccer player a trial.
And believe it or not, this was a suggestion made in all seriousness. We’re not playing the gender card here and saying that women cannot take on the role of kicker in pro-football, but we were surprised to say the least.
It wouldn’t be the first time that a female player has played football. There have been many women who have kicked for college football teams. But it would be the first time that any woman has played for a professional team in the NFL.
Can she handle the pressure?
Lloyd is no stranger to the big events, having won the soccer world cup on two occasions. The most recent win was in summer of this year when the unfancied US team beat the odds to lift the cup for the fourth time.
She’s used to playing in high-pressure games with opposing fans jeering her every touch, so yes, we think that she is perfectly capable of handling the pressure.
Who would take her on?
The Bears? Ha, yeah, they certainly need a kicker. Or perhaps the New York Jets? We sure as hell don’t need one right now when we have a player with the caliber of Jason Sanders making 90% of his kicks. Then again maybe Lloyd would be good to have as a backup.
Some might argue that hiring a female kicker is just a PR stunt, but we beg to differ. If she’s got the talent, then why not give her a shot like anyone else? The good thing that would come out of this is the fact that it could potentially lead to more women taking a chance at tryouts. This would in turn widen the talent pool and give teams more options in the drafts.
More options can never be a bad thing and we now live in a world of equality. However, with the Olympics on the horizon and Lloyd still playing pro-soccer, we can’t see her getting on a roster. Even so, perhaps she might inspire a few to take the chance.
I for one, would love to see her get a shot at making an NFL team.