Girl Power: Diversifying in a Male-Dominated Industry

Friday night lights. Blood sweat and tears. The gridiron. Football. Since it’s origin, football has always been a male-dominated game that consequently established a predominantly male industry. There are few to no women being employed in this field including: the front office, coaches, agents, referees, you name it.

“We aim to change this frame of mind, and that’s exactly why we are expanding in this current male-dominated industry. We are proud to announce that starting today we have hired three women to help us here at Jenkins Elite. It’s about time someone in the industry challenges the mindset of only men knowing football.” – Tim Jenkins

Women make up roughly half of the NFL’s viewer base, per CBS, and in turn, more and more women are starting to seek out jobs within the field of football. We are excited to be at the forefront of the industry and work hard to change the stigma of football belonging only to men.

Name: Paulina Gonzales

Role: Office Manager

About Paulina:

Paulina Gonzales has been an avid sports junkie her entire life. Starting her passion in softball, Paulina played 2nd base and outfield for Thunder Ridge High School from 2010-2014. She led the Grizzlies to the state tournament, the schools first appearance in seven years. Impressing colleges, Paulina decided to further her academic and playing career at Boston Eastern Nazarene, and then later at Colorado Mesa University, (2015-2018). As a Maverick, Paulina earned her degree in Sports Management with a minor in Business. After that, she worked for Denver University as a marketing operator as well as fan experience. Currently, she is working on her masters in sports admin on top of being Jenkins Elite office manager. Paulina’s brother John sparked her appreciation of football. Watching him run on the field on game day ignited her passion for the game that few others have.

“I’m extremely excited to be working at Jenkins Elite. My passion for sports has driven me my whole life, and now that I get to turn that passion into a career; I couldn’t be more happy. Iv’e always wanted to pave the way for women in the sports industry, and starting here with Jenkins Elite is the first step to doing just that.”

Name: Kaili Hanenburg

Role: Content Manager

About Kaili:

Kaili Hanenburg has always had a special place in her heart for football. Her younger brother Jack Hanenburg (Jenkins Elite QB), kindled her love for the game early on. Kaili’s interest started in sports media by capturing photos of her brother on game day. From then on, she continued her passion for photography by shooting the Douglas County Football team for all 4 years she was in high school, (2013-2017). Kaili currently attends Northern Arizona University and will graduate in 2021 with a major in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Photography.

“Im so appreciative for this opportunity with Jenkins elite. So far it has been a great experience being able to work with not only the awesome people at Jenkins Elite but some of Colorado’s best Athletes. I love the fact that this job compliments my major perfectly by not only getting me a lot of repetition with sports photography but also creating content and working with a lot of new media platforms.”

Name: Mariah Evans

Role: Media Management

About Mariah:

Mariah Evans has always been around football, ever since her brother Ty Evans (Jenkins Elite Quarterback), has been able to throw a spiral. Mariah is no stranger to personal success in sports either, starting her volleyball career at Lewis-Palmer High School where she dominated from 2013-2016, leading her team to two state championship titles. Mariah was a force on the court and earned an offer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her freshman year, Mariah led the Tar Heels to a Sweet 16 finish and an ACC title. After repeated concussions, Mariah was forced to retire from volleyball, but still helps the team as the Undergraduate Assistant Coach.

“Ive always been around football, my brother, Ty, has always loved the game and being around him so much I grew to love it too. Working in the football industry now is such an awesome experience. Jenkins Elite has such a welcoming and determined environment that drives the whole company to succeed and expand the boundaries of the sport. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me in this company.”

We will always be committed to innovation and pushing the envelope. Every day we are taking steps to make sure that we stay ahead of the curve, whether it’s through our QB training, WR training, Sports Performance program or who we are hiring. By diversifying in a male-dominated industry, we hope to be the first of many who opens their doors up to more women in our field.