At the culmination of a year in which the league has celebrated the history and future of NFL football in the lead-up to Super Bowl 50, the NFL is paying tribute to the critical role sports have played in the lives of female leaders past and present and raising public awareness of the role they can play in developing the next generation of leaders.
The NFL Women's Summit: "In the Huddle to Advance Women in Sport" will be held Feb. 4-5 in downtown San Francisco. Commissioner Roger Goodell will open the summit, followed by a keynote address by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Others participating include Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Annika Sorenstam and Jessica Mendoza.
The summit intends to bring together prominent leaders from sports, government, media and a variety of other fields -- all of whom believe in the power of sports to support the future success of young women both personally and professionally. Through their experience and insights, the summit aims to reinforce the power of sports and to encourage broad support -- from men and women alike -- for girls' athletic participation.
Jane Skinner Goodell, former Fox News anchor and wife of Commissioner Goodell, will moderate a panel titled "Media, Entertainment and Sports as a Platform" during the two-day summit.
"When I was asked to take part, it was a no-brainer for me," Jane Skinner Goodell told USA Today's Christine Brennan. "I was really flattered and so excited. I love to ask questions being a former reporter myself and I also love to be part of something positive. ... It was very funny: when I said to Roger, 'Oh, did you know that I might be taking part in this?' he said to me, 'I want to take part in that.' I think it would have been important to him if we had five boys running around our house. We happen to have two daughters so it's even more meaningful.
"I always say Roger is incredibly supportive of women. I would never have married him if he wasn't. So this type of a summit is very much up his alley. It's also very much up my alley because I have always been a big believer in youth sports."
