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Four Women Who Broke Through Sports’s Glass Ceiling in 2020

In 2020 Sarah Fuller, Katie Sowers, Becky Hammon, and Kim Ng broke long-standing gender barriers in college football, the NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball….

Sowers attended Hesston College and then the Mennonite-affiliated Goshen College in Indiana, where she was a multisport athlete. After graduating in 2009, she asked about taking a position as a volunteer assistant coach on the Goshen women’s basketball team. She said she was turned down based on her sexual orientation.

Spurned, she turned instead to Women’s Football Alliance, where she played with her twin sister, Liz. Sowers played eight years in the WFA, first for the West Michigan Mayhem and then for the Kansas City Titans. She also coached girls basketball in Kansas City, where one of her players was a daughter of the noted football executive Scott Pioli. Later, when Pioli became the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, he helped Sowers get a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, part of which involved working with the Falcons during the off-season. There she met Kyle Shanahan, who later went on to coach the 49ers, where he recruited Sowers to join his staff in 2017. In 2019 she became the first full-time female coach in NFL history. 

In 2017, in an interview with Outsports, Sowers came out as the NFL’s first openly LGBTQ+ coach, male or female. “No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers told the site. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, who do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.”

Though the 49ers lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs (and will miss the playoffs this year), players have publicly expressed their belief in Sowers and the future of her coaching career, with defensive tackle DJ Jones telling ABC News, “She’s empowering to all women. I’m proud of her. She’s a superstar.”

In an interview with Hesston College in 2016, when she was with the Falcons, Sowers talked about her career goals. “My long-term goal is to be a head coach and then move on to executive management,” Sowers said. “It’s not a typical path, but then again, nothing about what I’m doing is typical.”

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Kim Ng, the new general manager for the Miami Marlins. AP Photo

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Kim Ng

When Ng was hired by team co-owner Derek Jeter in November to be the new general manager of the Miami Marlins, she not only became the first female general manager of a major North American men’s professional sports team, but also Major League Baseball’s first Asian American general manager.

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Nike Zoom Hyperflight “Safari” Official Images Reveal Bold Print Ahead of Holiday Release

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The Nike Zoom Hyperflight is getting a bold new look, with the “Safari” colorway coming soon. We have official photos of the unique design for a closer look. The sneaker sports bright orange accents and a translucent outsold, and is expected to arrive during the holiday season at a retail price of $190.

The new version is inspired by the Safari print that is familiar from the Air Safari. That pattern covers most of the Hyperflight’s soft, molded upper, giving the basketball shoe a unique look compared with some of the model’s other recent colorways. Together, the unusual texture and pattern make the silhouette feel especially suited to the adventurous design.

The primary contrast across the shoe is orange, used in the trim and other details. The bright color pops against the speckled base without being overwhelming. Black is also present in the design, on the glossy support structure around the midfoot and the soft leather collar. The look is topped off with a see-through outsole that adds another visual element to the overall color scheme.

The sneaker will drop with style code IZ2573-010 and is expected in men’s sizing. With a retail price tag of $190, Nike, Foot Locker, and Sheikh are among the expected retailers. As for when you can expect it, it’s likely to be the holiday season, though we don’t have a solid release date.

The “Safari” colorway comes amid a busy period for the Zoom Hyperflight. This year, Nike has revived the model in several colors, bringing a new wave of attention to the silhouette through a series of releases. Another forthcoming option is the vibrant “Green Apple” pair, also scheduled for a holiday season release.

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The Hyperflight’s history also provides context for the latest return. Jason Williams wore the model in the early 2000s, linking it to a memorable era for the sneaker. That association also helps explain why new colorways can generate excitement beyond the shoe’s look, especially for those who remember it from its previous run.

The Safari design is a definitive statement that does not change the characteristic shape of the Hyperflight. Instead, it uses the familiar silhouette as a canvas for a pattern that has already become recognizable through another Nike model. The orange accents provide a bright contrast, while the black midfoot structure and collar balance it out.

Now that official images have surfaced, sneaker fans have a clearer idea of what to expect from the holiday release. The $190 price, style code, and expected retail partners have also been identified, but a specific launch date has not been confirmed.

For Nike, the “Safari” is another way to bring attention back to the Zoom Hyperflight. One of its more distinctive new looks is this returning model, featuring speckled print, orange trim, black support details, and an icy-looking translucent outsole.

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Lil Yachty Previews Another Nike Air Force 1 Mid, This Time With Blue and Orange Stitching

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Lil Yachty has added another eye-catching design to his ever-growing collection of Nike US Force 1 Mids, this time going for a cleaner white look accented by blue and orange stitching. The rapper’s latest take on the shoe keeps the familiar silhouette. Still, it uses contrasting details to give the shoe its own identity, something the artist is known for, showing off a steady run of variations on the silhouette.

 

Dubbed the “White Contrast Stitch,” the pair features white leather across most of the upper. Rather than altering the classic Air Force 1 Mid profile or incorporating a strange material, the design uses stitching to separate the design visually. Blue stitching embellishes the leather panels, and each side of the shoe’s Swoosh is lined with orange.

 

The combo adds a subtle but noticeable splash of color to the mostly white sneaker. It’s a more muted take than some of the more adventurous pairs Yachty has shown recently, so this version feels like the more no-nonsense option in his growing collection.

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The new design adds to the long list of Air Force 1 Mid looks associated with the rapper this year. Earlier previews have featured a stars-and-stripes pair, an orange version with black stars, and a yellow colorway tied to ComplexCon. Each has put a different spin on the familiar silhouette, helping make Yachty’s run of designs a continuing talking point among sneaker watchers.

 

Earlier this year, another pair of the shoes, this time with blue and red detailing and thick white stitching, was also teased. That version is expected to launch around the holidays, but the details provided don’t confirm whether it will launch alongside the recently unveiled white one.

 

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Some questions remain unanswered about the “White Contrast Stitch” design. Nike has not confirmed any price, style code, or even whether the sneaker will be released to the public. The design has drawn attention through its online appearance and Yachty’s preview, but neither sets a launch date nor guarantees consumers can buy it.

 

That anticipation makes the latest reveal more of a first look than a proper release announcement. The white leather upper and blue-and-orange stitching are on display, but key retail details remain unknown. For now, there is no confirmed timeline for when the pair might hit stores, or if it will be offered beyond the preview.

 

Still, the design adds another variation to a collection that has featured a wide variety of colors and details. The white base makes this one more subtle, while the contrast stitching keeps it from being a straight-up all-white release.

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Yachty’s latest preview continues his ongoing relationship with the silhouette, with several other Air Force 1 Mid designs already shown this year. It’s not clear if the “White Contrast Stitch” pair will ever make it to the light of day, but it’s definitely added another distinct look to his growing collection.

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