Ladies luncheon celebrates women in NFL-based jobs

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Women haven’t always had a seat at the NFL table but times have changed.  Ladies aren’t just spectators anymore when it comes to playing and even working in sports. In fact, a luncheon at Top Golf celebrating the ladies is making a point to bring attention to just that. Plenty of men also attended the luncheon to show their support.

”Keep your dream alive, don’t think that being a woman is a limitation,” says retired Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jonathan Ogden. He remembers a time when women working in the NFL basically didn’t exist but fortunately, that is a thing of the past. “It’s a blessing. It’s been fantastic to see because women are just as qualified.”

Kelli Masters is hosting the women in football bash. She's the president of KMM Sports, “which is a full-service sports agency representing NFL players, Olympians,” explains Masters. She also says the luncheon is a true celebration because twelve years ago when she first became a sports agent, there were only three women working as sports agents in the whole country. 

"I think there are twenty of us now that are certified agents and actually represent players in the NFL and that was not the case 12 years ago," adds Masters.

Ogden hired one of those twenty female agents ten years ago. 

"I definitely appreciate what women can do because she’s helped me make some pretty good money doing what she does," says Ogden.

When it comes to the NFL, women are working in just about all areas. 

When she worked for FOX 26, Anita Martini was one of the first women to cover sports back in the 1970s. 

“Now women are on the coaching side of it, the agent side, the marketing side, just all aspects of the sport,” explains Ogden, but Masters says working in a male-dominated industry has it’s challenges.

"Even in this day and age, there are stigmas about what women can and can’t handle and whether a woman belongs in a certain arena," says Masters. "If my battles and me overcoming everything I’ve been up against for the last few years, if that’s inspiring other people to pursue their dreams, then I love that. It’s a great thing."