While true NFL fans know that preseason games can be trivial at best, Thursday evening's game between the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers took on a whole other dimension of meaning as barriers were broken and the NFL saw its first female official referee a game.
Shannon Eastin, with her height and size disparity being impossible to miss, held her own. Her presence went virtually unnoticed, which is the way most officials want things to go in most games.
"I thought she did a good job of communicating," Packers Coach Mike McCarthy said in an ESPN.com interview. "I was focused on the Packers, but there was communication before the game."
Some NFL fans felt that her being involved in the game and subsequent games to come brings undue attention to the games and also could lead to additional issues down the road.
"I don't want to see her get hurt out there or even worse, the players getting injured because she's not effective enough," said Mike Abinati who was getting ready to watch the game at in Eastchester.
So that brings us to our poll question: Are female officials in the NFL a good thing? Cast your vote and leave your reasons in the comments section below.
To read the full report on the game from espn.com, click here.
