Oct 24, 2021
Hello, and welcome to the Women Leaders podcast! I’m Patti
Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in College Sports. Today I’m sharing
an uplifting conversation with Sam Rapoport, the Senior Director of
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the National Football
League.
Sam started playing football at age 12 in Canada, ultimately rising
to play for Team Canada and pro tackle football teams. By the end
of college, she knew she wanted to work in pro football. Sam landed
an internship with the NFL by pitching herself as a quarterback who
could deliver a ball 386 miles—from Montreal to New York City. Sam
still recommends finding ways to stand out.
In two stints with the NFL, Sam has brought significant change
to the league, spearheading programming to retain, develop, and
promote qualified diverse candidates into the football operations
pipeline at NFL clubs and the league office.
Rapoport created the Women’s Careers in Football Forum in 2017,
which served to inspire and connect qualified women to football
operations positions in professional and college football programs.
As a result, 82 female coaching, scouting, and operations
candidates have been hired in the three-year period, a record
number.
By developing strong relationships and giving people reasons to
believe in her, Sam forged a unique path in the NFL and proposed
bold new initiatives. Sam tells us that sometimes, doing something
new or different might not be well-received. Figuring things out
and proving her credibility helped remove some of the obstacles and
has created truly impactful change. Don’t miss a moment of this
conversation! And remember, we are Women Leaders!