Christina Settimi writing for Forbes:

On Thursday Eastin will become the first female to officiate an NFL game. She will work as a line judge in the preseason match-up between the San Diego Chargers and the Green Bay Packers. It is an historical moment.

This is absolutely fantastic. It’s kind of insane when you think about the fact that there’s never been a female referee in the NFL. But of course, there’s a crappy side to this story. Settimi goes on to write:

As it stands now, the footnote will explain that Eastin served only as a replacement during an NFL referee lockout caused by a dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement.

The fact that it takes a lockout –which necessitates a full replacement staff– for a woman to get a fair shot is a disgrace. My only hope is that this story gets enough attention for the referees union to put women in place when the lockout gets resolved. I know what it’s like to be the “token”, and it sucks, so let’s hope a respectable amount of women are given a shot.