The Mothers Who Built The Game: Honoring Black Women’s Labor In Football

Every football season, you’ll see them on the sidelines, in the stands, and now, going viral on social media: Black mothers cheering, coaching, and carrying their sons through one of America’s most brutal sports. But behind the highlight reels and heartwarming Mother’s Day tributes, their everyday labor — physical, emotional, financial — remains largely invisible.

Take Terricca Williams, the Florida mom who captured national attention last year for running football drills with her young son, Czar, in their front yard. Sure, the media swooped in to tell her story, and the NFL rewarded her commitment with Super Bowl tickets. But what about the thousands of other Black mothers doing this work, day in and day out, with no cameras watching? What about the collective sacrifices they make to protect and propel their sons in a sport that both glorifies and endangers Black male bodies?  Read more about ways Black women support their football-playing sons.