Written Work

Buccaneers lead the way for Girls in Football

There has been a rise in women in sports but the industry remains male dominated with 95% of football coaches and 91% of referees being men. The Buccaneers have not only joined the battle for victory in gender equality but started a trend.

Ruth Caguias University of South Florida

 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Girls in Football is the first of its kind, launching in 2020 with a program to grant annual scholarships to high school flag football players seeking a future career in sports.

The Buccaneers host the largest girls flag football tournament in the country, with the intention to showcase the incredible talent in the growing sport of girls flag football. The Girls Flag Football Preseason Classic has featured more than 100 teams and over 2,000 athletes. This past year, the team hosted the highest attended regular-season game in addition to presenting 2024 State Championships taking place at the Advent Health Training Center, home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation has extensive programming centered on strengthening students throughout Tampa Bay,” explains Hannah Drosdick, the Manager of Community Public Relations for the Bucs. “..., their efforts have continued to spotlight the immense talent we have in our state while providing unforgettable experiences to these young women while getting to play the sport that we all love.”

A commitment of $250,000 from the foundation is what made the Girls in Football scholarship program possible. Graduating high school seniors that are participating in organized football with plans to enroll in a full-time accredited four-year University must apply and forego a series of interviews from chairmen of the foundation.

Direct impact of the scholarship

Jade Rayburn was a quarterback of Alonso High school was among the first group of recipients of the scholarship program when they first launched in 2020. Rayburn grew up in Tampa and was a natural born athlete participating in gymnastics to than follow in her mother’s footsteps in pursuing softball. Her freshman year of high school Jade made a pivot to join the flag football team and the rest was history.

Rayburn was captain of her respected team that went on to win back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019. Her junior year a Nike sponsorship arise and shortly after the Bucs came knocking.

“I think that it’s so good that I’ve seen how it was before the Bucs came on and I see how it is now,” said Rayburn. “They made such a difference; flag football as a whole is so much more well-known. They put all hands-on deck, they never once hesitated,” Jade continued. “They have given us every opportunity, anything to promote the sport, women in sports, women in football like they are 100% behind it.”

Jade graduated from Florida State University with her master’s in economics and has plans to pursue a career in sports analytics.

In 2023 Eryn Klaus from Alonso high obtained a scholarship from the foundation to attend the University of Florida. Klaus is a sophomore majoring in neuroscience with hopes to contribute to professional football players that are susceptible to CTE; Chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

“That’s what I’m hoping to do in the future,” Klaus explained. “Especially in tackle football, CTE is a really big problem. So I’m hoping to contribute to sports in that way with neuroscience researching. The health and wellness of the players I think is really important.”

Eryn and Jade not only share the love of football but share the passion for what sports have done in their lives and how they wouldn’t be where they are without it. Both are aspiring to give back to the game that have given so much to them.  

Closing the Gap

The Bucs broke ground becoming the first NFL team to ever create an academic scholarship program for girls in flag football and now other NFL teams have created similar opportunities to assist in closing the gap for gender equality. There has been more and more growth with investments in aiding the development of future female leaders in the realm of sports. Whether it be coaching, refereeing, public relations, or media coverage, there is an increase in women’s interest in the world of sports.

 History was made during Super Bowl 55, with not only the Bucs being the first team to win with home field advantage, but also having the first female coaches on staff in their 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.

 Lori Locust was the assistant defensive line coach that year and Maral Javadifar now enters her seventh season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maral, better known as MJ, earned a promotion from the strength and conditioning coach to the Director of rehabilitation and Performance coach in 2022.

“It is incredible to be a part of an organization that prioritizes creating opportunities in football for women in all ages,” Drodsick adds. “There are so many incredible women both on our staff and in this community that are committed to empowering the next generation of female leaders and I’m just so grateful to get to be a part of it.”

 The battle has not been won for gender equality in sports but the Tampa Bay Foundation Girls in Football will continue to chip away until victory is had.

The Lightning support the community leaders of Tampa Bay

 Tampa Fla-  The Tampa Bay Lightning paid tribute at the downtown Tampa Police Department and the U.S Coastguard base in Clearwater on OCT. 1 to shake hands and personally thank the front-line defense for their continual work in the community

Hurricane Helene has left devastation in the northeast with countless families dealing with the aftermath of high flood waters rushing into their homes. At least 223 people have lost their lives with hundreds unaccounted for: many still left with no power or food. The Lightning organization has made a public pledge of $2 million dollars to the restoration of the community starting with front line workers and first responders. An additional $1 million has been donated by Lightning Community Heroes Celia and Jim Ferman from Ferman Motor Car Company to directly benefit Coast guard officers, police officers, firefighters, sheriffs and teachers of Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have committed $2 million to hurricane Helene relief after the storm left the community in rebuild. Countless families are picking up the pieces left behind by the surge including first responders.

“They put their lives aside and when they were able to go home, they found that their homes were damaged too,” explained the Lee Barcaw, chief of police. “We had 11 officers that were severely impacted by the storm. I can’t thank the Tampa Bay Lightning and our captain Victor Hedman more than ever for their donation.”

Newly named team captain, Victor Hedman, made a $150 thousand donation to first responders and front-line workers that were affected by the storm. The donation was split between the Tampa Bay Police Benevolent Association and the U.S Coastguard foundation to assist those who came home to sever damage from the storm. To follow Hedmans pledge other Lightning players united to donate $10 thousand to Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay that provides free critical home repair in the neighborhoods throughout the Bay area.

“This is way Tampa is such a great community”, rejoiced Bercaw. “And why we have such great people out there that our assisting.”

Hedman’s home luckily was not impacted by the storm, but he expressed his grievances with the Tampa Bay community that has shown him the support and love since arriving in Tampa in 2009. The Sweden native was named the 11th team captain of the Lightning this past September after the disheartening departure of Steven Stamkos and leads the charge in restoring his community.

“This hurricane affected a lot people and you guys still have to put your lives on the line and to come home and see your homes destroyed and not the way you left it that morning is just heart breaking to us,” explained Hedman. “What you do for us on a daily basis and not just during the hurricane but overall and how great you are to this community and how you keep us safe, we want to thank you guys for everything you guys do.”

Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor was also in attendance to speak with the officers who were facing troubled times during the aftermath of hurricane Helene.

“A lot of the material element, you can always replace those,” said Castor. “Fortunately, no one was hurt/injured from our city team but a lot of the keep sake, things that people have had for their entire lives are gone now which is devastating.”

Coastguard Foundation

Hedman, accompanied by three other Lightning mates, took the drive over the bridge to the U.S Coastguard base in Clearwater to meet the military members that protect the waters surrounding the state they call home. The Coastguard Foundation has received 79 applications for support from their members whose homes have been negatively impacted by the storm. The donation from the Lightning is distributed among the members to pay for insurance deductibles to replace the essentials lost in the hurricane.

“If we can take care of everything at home for them, then that gives them the opportunity to stay focused on what they have to do.” Explained the Coast guard Foundation regional director of Philanthropy, Brain Overcast who reached out to the Lightning Foundation for support for the members needing support.

“They have the same hazards as civilians,” said Overcast. “However, when others evacuate from storms like Helene, our members stay behind to service first responders.”

The U.S Coastguard base in Clearwater was also severely affected by the storm and faced their own recovery aftermath. The Lightnings visit was greeted with members amid tearing out carpet and fixing hangers that houses their vessels for rescue. The Lightning shook hands, signed autographs and posed for pictures while touring the base

Gregory Wilcox, a six-wing aviation pilot who lost everything in his Clearwater home, was joined by his wife Ella of four years who is no stranger to the effects of a hurricane. Ella and her family were left with just a pole intact from what remained of their childhood home in Mississippi following the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

“Katrina happened and we lost everything”, Ella explained. “Our house was completely destroyed into millions of pieces, so that was really devastating.

The Wilcox family, originally from Seattle Washington, was relocated to Clearwater Florida two years ago and fell in love with the beach; the same beach they watched flood into their home from their ring camera.

“It’s been a struggle with the hurricane, but the Lighting team and the rest of the community have been so supportive and we’re just so grateful of their generosity and their giving back to the community, it’s just been amazing.”

With the season opener quickly approaching the Lightning are taking strids in helping their community recover in the aftermath of a generational Hurricane.