It鈥檚 fall, which means the leaves are changing colors and dropping off trees, days are getting colder and darker, and more than a million boys across this country are putting on helmets and shoulder pads and playing football under Friday night lights.
And quite a few girls are, too.
In 2018, 2,404 girls played high school tackle football, compared to just about 500 girls playing in 2008, by the National Football League. That鈥檚 a fivefold increase in the number of girls playing football in the last decade. From 2008 to 2018, 47 of 50 states saw an increase in the percentage of girls who play full-contact high school football, according to the NFL鈥檚 study.
One of those many girls who have taken a liking to a sport long dominated by boys is Brooklyn Harker.
She鈥檚 a junior at Chapel Hill High School and a safety for the Tigers鈥� varsity football team.
鈥淏rooklyn is a football player. Like I鈥檝e said 1,000 times, she just happens to be a girl,鈥� said Chapel Hill head coach Issac Marsh. 鈥淪he knows the game and she executes at her position.鈥�
Part of a trend
I would say all of the girls playing high school football right now, and middle school football and flag football, are helping knock those [barriers] down, and making it not so crazy or weird.Brooklyn Harker
Young women playing football is not as rare as it once was. Harker is the first to do so for Chapel Hill High School, but she鈥檚 far from being the first or the only one in the state of North Carolina.
Last season, two extra points for Providence Day in Charlotte, becoming the first girl to play 鈥� and score points 鈥� in an NC Independent Schools football game, the state鈥檚 league for private schools. Other girls around the Tar Heel State are suiting up for football, too. Pender High School, which is about 29 miles away from Wilmington, , a girl who handles kicking duties.
And girls aren鈥檛 just infiltrating football at the high school level. At Brown University, became the first woman to be a position coach at the Division I level when she was hired as the Bears quarterbacks coach in March 2020. This season in the NFL, 12 women are working as full-time assistant coaches. One of them is Eden, North Carolina, native . The graduate of Rockingham County High School and Guilford College is a running backs coach for the Washington Football Team.
A year ago, 鈥� a standout soccer player at Vanderbilt University 鈥� grabbed headlines when she suited up for the Commodores鈥� football team. Fuller made history when she connected on an extra point against Tennessee, becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 college football game.
Fuller is someone that inspires Harker. Both of them are shining examples that this is no longer a sport just for boys.
鈥淚 would say that I鈥檓 helping break down these barriers, along with Sarah Fuller and Becca Longo. I鈥檝e always looked up to them a lot,鈥� Harker said in a recent interview with 深夜福利. 鈥淚 would say all of the girls playing high school football right now, and middle school football and flag football, are helping knock those down, and making it not so crazy or weird.鈥�
Like they did with Fuller, media gravitated toward Harker, too. The attention came after Chapel Hill鈥檚 55-6 victory over Carrboro on Sept. 10, when Harker started at safety. That night, Harker鈥檚 mother touting her daughter鈥檚 accomplishments. It quickly went viral, garnering nearly 65,000 interactions.
Many folks were complimentary, proud and congratulatory, including former Carolina Panthers鈥� defensive back.
But there were many others who showed insecurity, fear and opposition to change in the game. Some replied to the Tweet with taunts, unoriginal jokes and memes, and disbelief in Harker鈥檚 skills. To some, it鈥檚 unthinkable that women can compete athletically on the same field or court as men. But Harker is proof that football is no longer a game just for men.
She got a kick out of reading some of the responses to the Tweet.
鈥淭he hate comments and stuff鈥� Some of them are actually kind of funny to me,鈥� Harker said. 鈥淚 try to use it more as motivation, more than letting it knock me down. Someone said I might help the (Atlanta) Falcons鈥� secondary.鈥�
On the field, Harker hasn't heard the same kind of comments. Between the lines on the gridiron, she's just another football player. And she likes it that way.
鈥淭rash talk鈥� not this season," Harker said. "When I was in the eighth grade, there was a little bit of teasing whenever I tackled people. Like, 鈥極h, you just got tackled by a girl.鈥�
"I felt more powerful than anything.鈥�
Convincing her parents
It鈥檚 a gamut of emotions. I鈥檓 so proud that she鈥檚 able to go out there. I trust her teammates and I trust her coaches. The worry hits, because I鈥檓 a parent.David Harker
At 16, Brooklyn Harker loves sports. She鈥檚 been playing them her whole life. When she鈥檚 not playing football for the Tigers, she might be fencing, or honing her skills on the soccer pitch as a goalkeeper, or tossing around a frisbee. And when she鈥檚 not actually playing sports, she鈥檚 probably watching them. She worked for the Durham Bulls this past summer and is an avid fan of the Arizona Cardinals.
Soccer was the first sport Harker fell in love with as a child, but it wasn鈥檛 long before her dad started throwing the football around with her in the yard. That hooked her, and when the third grade came around for Harker, she started playing flag football, a non-tackle version of the game.
鈥淎t a very young age, I wanted to make sure she wasn鈥檛 going to be afraid of a ball,鈥� Brooklyn鈥檚 father David Harker said.
Eventually, Brooklyn wanted to try playing tackle football. She wasn鈥檛 just convinced she could play with the boys 鈥� she knew she鈥檇 be better than a lot of them.
But football is a very violent game. Brooklyn鈥檚 parents worried about her safety.
鈥淚 wasn't really on board with it at first,鈥� David Harker said. 鈥淛ust knowing that it鈥檚 predominantly a male sport. Her wanting to go in there 鈥� I want to support her, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥榯hat鈥檚 awesome鈥� 鈥� but then you start thinking about the dynamics. Like, does somebody want to make a name for themselves by just wailing the girl on the team? Do they want to be that person? So many things ran through our mind.鈥�
It took more than several conversations with her parents, but Brooklyn鈥檚 persistence and stubbornness won out. And so far, she鈥檚 steered clear of any severe injuries or dirty players. Still, her parents watch her from the bleachers with some concern.
鈥淪he has the physicality,鈥� David Harker said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 not afraid. She鈥檚 good at defense. She has great hands. She has all the attributes. What I worry about is dirty play鈥� My first line is to listen to the coaches. And (Marsh) is all about safety. He鈥檚 all about how to tackle correctly and how they protect themselves on the field. It kind of sold me here.鈥�
Still, Harker鈥檚 mother has a message for her everyday when she wakes up: 鈥淕ood morning. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel when you鈥檙e playing football.鈥�
Inclusive environment in Chapel Hill
The Harker family has moved around a lot as Brooklyn has grown up, exposing her to different environments in Arizona, Texas, West Virginia, and now North Carolina. The Harkers came to Chapel Hill because Brooklyn鈥檚 mother Jennifer earned a scholarship to UNC to pursue her PhD.
It鈥檚 their second stay in the Tar Heel State, and Brooklyn and her family arrived back in Chapel Hill on Dec. 31, 2020. A few months later, they got an email from the school outlining when practices started for fall sports. Brooklyn鈥檚 eyes gravitated towards the information for football.
She showed up, and there was no hemming and hawing, no pushback. A coach handed her a helmet and a practice jersey, and pointed toward where her locker would be. And that was that.
鈥淵ou would never be able to tell that I was Coach Marsh鈥檚 first female athlete,鈥� Brooklyn said.
The culture that Marsh has established for Chapel Hill High School鈥檚 football team particularly impressed Brooklyn鈥檚 father. The way David Harker tells it, Marsh wasn鈥檛 worried about a girl joining the team, he just turned his attention toward the dynamics around it and how to make sure she was comfortable by, for example, making sure she always had access to the girls locker room.
During the family鈥檚 first stint living in Chapel Hill, Brooklyn started playing tackle football at Culbreth Middle School 鈥� an experience she treasures. But not every team she鈥檚 played with or against has been the most welcoming. In West Virginia, Brooklyn said, the atmosphere wasn鈥檛 always inclusive. So, she played soccer instead as a freshman and sophomore in high school there. When she moved back to Chapel Hill though, she wanted to give football another try. And Marsh鈥檚 program was the perfect fit.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 treat me any differently,鈥� Brooklyn said of Marsh. 鈥淚鈥檓 just one of the guys. And I really am grateful for that.鈥�
Start leads to spotlight
On Sept. 10 against Carrboro, Harker got a chance to show everyone how good of a football player she is when Marsh started her at safety.
Harker simply playing is not why eyes gravitated toward her. It鈥檚 the fact that she started at safety 鈥� a position that requires aggression, speed and physicality, where the goal is to stop a ball carrier鈥檚 progress by any means necessary. When many football fans think of safeties, they think of Ed Reed or Steve Atwater or Troy Polamalu 鈥� or one of Harker鈥檚 favorite players, Tyrann Mathieu. These are hard hitters that play recklessly.
Girls who have played football recently are typically in specialist positions like kicker or punter or wide receiver 鈥� not roles like safety, where the job is to initiate contact. In this way, Harker is defying some stereotypes; not just about girls playing football, but about the position she plays. She鈥檚 not delivering bone-crushing hits, but she鈥檚 not getting embarrassed either. Against Carrboro, she excelled, and the Tigers won convincingly, 55-6.
Two weeks later, Harker was a crucial reason why the Tigers beat the East Chapel Hill Wildcats 49-0. She registered a tackle, an interception and a pass breakup, and she also successfully kicked two extra points.
Bottom line is, Brooklyn, she鈥檚 a football player.Chapel Hill head coach Issac Marsh
鈥淎nywhere they put me is my favorite position,鈥� Harker said.
When Harker鈥檚 mother鈥檚 Tweet went viral, Chapel Hill High School鈥檚 football team suddenly had a bunch of new eyes on it. The daily newspapers in Raleigh and Fayetteville sent reporters, Yahoo called, and Bleacher Report made Harker the subject of 鈥� making her known to nearly 27 million followers.
鈥淚 didn't go into the season thinking or wanting anything about this,鈥� Harker said of her newfound social media stardom. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been crazy. It鈥檚 been very overwhelming. But I鈥檓 very grateful for such a great team and great coaches. They鈥檙e just telling me to not let that stuff go to my head. Because I know my abilities and they know my abilities.鈥�
After Harker started receiving a lot of attention, a few of Marsh鈥檚 players asked him, 鈥淐oach, do you think this is going to be a distraction?鈥� He replied, 鈥淚t鈥檚 only what you allow it to be.鈥�
Which is to say, no, Harker wasn鈥檛 and hasn鈥檛 been a distraction. Marsh welcomes the spotlight Harker has been getting and thinks it could benefit the other players on his team, too.
鈥淭he majority of you guys, you want to get recruited,鈥� Marsh told his players. 鈥淪o, if you want to get recruited, this is one of the best ways to do it. When you got the spotlight, people are going to come and see.鈥�
The Tigers weren鈥檛 distracted that week. They went out and beat Person High School 35-21 at home. The extra reporters and photographers on-hand to get a closer look at Harker witnessed running back Elijah Ayankoya rush for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Less than a month later, he picked up his first Division I scholarship offer .
During that game against Person, Harker didn鈥檛 play too much. But when she entered on defense, lining up against a wide receiver in the slot, the opposing quarterback tried to test her. She stayed with her assignment the whole way though and the quarterback missed his target.
鈥淲e pick the moments to play her where she will have success,鈥� Marsh said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a situation where she鈥檚 isolated. It鈥檚 just a matter of what we want to do as a program, together. It鈥檚 not about one person. The players are happy for Brooklyn. When you have that unselfishness, the sky is the limit.鈥�
For the majority of that game against Person, Harker stayed close to her coaches with her helmet locked on tight. She wanted her coaches to know that, whatever the situation called for, she鈥檇 be available.
After one of her teammates scored against Person, Harker pumped her fist and clapped. Then she quickly refocused, tightening her black and white gloves and making a beeline for her coaches. She鈥檚 a football player, not a sideline act, and she鈥檚 consistently prepared for the next play.
鈥淚鈥檓 always ready, just in case they need me,鈥� Harker said.
Breaking barriers
When asked why she loves football, Harker reflected for a brief moment, then summed it up: 鈥淚 like the physicality and the aggression of football. And the unity and chemistry you have with the team. The guys on the team feel like my family. They鈥檙e not different around me.鈥�
鈥淎nd I just like to hit people, and you can鈥檛 really do that in fencing,鈥� she added.
Football has long been patrolled by self-appointed and hyper-masculine gatekeepers who have their own ideas of who should and shouldn鈥檛 play the game. They鈥檙e the ones who kept non-whites out of college football in the South decades ago. And they鈥檙e the ones who have often believed that women weren鈥檛 tough enough, strong enough, or smart enough to compete on the gridiron.
Folks with open minds like Marsh are defying those faux protectors of football. And young women like Harker are proving them wrong.
Marsh said that a few other girls have stopped him in the hallway since Harker鈥檚 first start, asking him, 鈥淐an I play?鈥�
And he always says, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e more than welcome.鈥�
鈥淲e want football players. At the end of the day, if you can walk and chew gum and you know the game, then we鈥檒l teach you the rest,鈥� Marsh said. 鈥淏ottom line is, Brooklyn, she鈥檚 a football player.鈥�
Another by the Sports and Fitness Association reported that of the 5.5 million Americans playing tackle football, 10.9% of them are women 鈥� about a half a million. Harker is just one of them, breaking up passes, bursting through offenses and busting down barriers.
Chemistry is Harker鈥檚 favorite subject, and she鈥檚 hoping to study abroad soon and put her French to use. She鈥檇 like to study both at Notre Dame, which has long been her favorite university, and a school with a pretty good fencing program, too. Between now and college, Harker might also try out for the Tigers鈥� wrestling team.
But that鈥檚 all in the future. Right now, the Tigers鈥� football team is 5-3 with two games left on its schedule. And Harker鈥檚 focus is on helping her team win.
鈥淏rooklyn is very graceful,鈥� Marsh said. 鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 want the spotlight, she鈥檚 just happy to be out here 鈥� and we鈥檙e happy to have her.鈥�
