Sam Gordon quarterbacking the growth of women's football
Gordon went viral for her football skills when she was younger and is now working to bring the game to young women and girls
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sam Gordon is tapping into the "unlimited potential" of women's football.
Gordon, who became a viral sensation as a teenager when her father uploaded video clips of her football skills to YouTube, is now helping expand opportunities for girls and young women to play the sport.
The 19-year-old Columbia University student-athlete partnered with Under Armour to help female athletes of all ages participate in football.
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Gordon has partnered with Under Armour to host girls football camps in California and Utah. She also helped launch Under Armour’s first-ever women’s football cleat, which is set to hit shelves on March 15.
Sam Gordon sees a lot of potential for women's tackle football. (Under Armour)
"I’m so excited to be working with them. The first that we did was the UA Next girls football camps. There’s going to be one in Utah in June, but we just had the one in LA, and it was so amazing to see all those girls out there," Gordon told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"First, overall, working with Under Armour, we’re working to bring equity in the sport, really push for female involvement in football and giving girls access and opportunity to play. A big part of that is these UA Next girls football camps, which I think are incredible opportunities for girls to get exposure to the sport they usually don't have the opportunity to participate in. And, not only that, but feel like they really belong in it.
"And being able to wear the girls football cleat that Under Armour has created is amazing. Personally, I always wore soccer cleats. I played football, and there's something special about being able to wear the cleat you want to play in. To wear a women’s football cleat really says something about them really pushing access for girls and working toward that."
At the UA Next football camp, Gordon worked alongside female NFL coaches Mickey Grace and Tammie Moore. Gordon described it as an "incredible" experience.
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Sam Gordon partnered with Under Armour to give girls more access to the sport. (Under Armour)
"I think it’s incredible to have female presence and role models, especially in the line of coaching, because I think there’s something special about being coached by someone you might aspire to be," Gordon said. "Breaking down these boundaries are so difficult whether you’re on the field or off the field. So, I think the coaches just provide another layer of, ‘We are here together, making progress together.’
"So It was incredible to see these girls get coached by these NFL coaches and just together making history and really pushing the boundaries of football."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gordon was featured in a Super Bowl commercial and given the NFL Game Changer Award for her efforts in forming the all-girls tackle football league.
Her efforts clearly haven’t stopped there. She told Fox News Digital she could "definitely" see a future in which women’s tackle football becomes more popular and even a mainstream league.
"I think girls tackle football and women’s football have unlimited potential," Gordon said. "It’s incredible. I mean, personally, when I went out and played the championship football game for my girls in our girls tackle football league in Utah, it was incredible to see how many fans came out. And it seemed like we have the stadium filled. And I don’t see why people wouldn’t be interested just because girls are playing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sam Gordon was thrust into the national spotlight when she was younger. (Under Armour)
"I think the issue that we’ve had so far is that there hasn’t been a pipeline (for) growth. But now with Under Armour, as we’re starting to provide those opportunities and really break down those boundaries, I am so excited to see the future of football.
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"I want women’s football to be a thing in college. I want them to have the same scholarship and athletic facility opportunities the boys receive. And I definitely think it has the potential to become a professional league with women coaches and women commissioners. I think it has the potential to be just as amazing as the boys' side of football is."