Colts CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon is going viral. But is it her headset, or that she’s a woman? | CBC News

The Indianapolis Colts won their second game of the NFL season Sunday — their first 2-0 start since 2009 — but that’s not the only reason the internet is abuzz about the team.

Because as exciting as their run might be for fans, it’s the Colts’ CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon that has people talking right now. Irsay-Gordon has been CEO since June, after her father and the team’s principal owner, chairman and CEO Jim Irsay died at age 65. She’s one of only 10 current female owners in the NFL.

And unlike some other team owners, who sometimes stay in the background, Irsay-Gordon has been on the sidelines at games, clipboard in hand, and wearing a headset.

She’s previously said she wears it to stay in the know, telling the Colts website it helps her understand how she can further support the coaches.

“I need to be able to say, ‘Is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they’re talking about?'” she said in June.

“So much of it comes down to just how we operate and how things work and the headsets — I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake potentially.”

Many have praised her hands-on approach, calling it “powerful” and highlighting her “grit and involvement,” especially in light of the team’s recent wins. Others have pointed out that while her habit of wearing a headset is somewhat unique, many male sports team owners have acted just as hands-on, and in many cases, more so.

But because it’s the internet, Irsay-Gordon has also been criticized, repeatedly accused of “micromanaging” from the sidelines and called “insufferable” on X, where some fans have also said she needs to let people “do their job.” Some memes compare her to a “wife waiting patiently to prove a point to you.”

“Carlie Irsay-Gordon is going to micromanage her franchise to their disintegration,” wrote someone on X Monday.

Michele Donnelly, a sport management associate professor at Brock University, says she thinks the attention on Irsay-Gordon isn’t so much about the headset, as it is about the fact that it’s unusual in most major men’s professional sport leagues to see a woman’s presence on the field in a management or owner capacity.

“A woman in that role is going to be scrutinized to a much greater degree than a man — the same is true of men of colour in ownership positions,” Donnelly told CBC News.

“There are clear misogynistic undertones to the attention.”

Disrupting football culture

Football has a distinct role in American culture, where it’s the leading spectator sport. And the NFL tends to be historically gendered, with tough and gritty male players tackling each other as ultra-feminine cheerleaders root for them from the sidelines.

But recently, these stereotypes have been disrupted, whether it’s by male NFL cheerleaders redefining what male athleticism can look like, or by the “Taylor Swift effect” on football ratings, viewership and merch sales. The NFL even congratulated Swift on her recent engagement to Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, posting heart and ring emojis on X.

And in addition, Donnelly notes, we’re seeing more women take on official roles in male professional sports, whether that’s sideline reporting, coaching, or officiating. Last month, for instance, Jen Pawol made history as the first woman umpire to work a regular-season game in the MLB.

But seeing a woman owner on the sidelines is somewhat novel, Donnelly said. Especially one who’s actively involved. Many owners watch games from their luxury suites, for instance, and some have been accused of “listening to the media more than their own coaches.”

“The attention on Irsay-Gordon emphasizes the no-win situation in which many women in sport organizations find themselves,” Donnelly said.

“That is, she’s criticized for being actively involved, sharing her knowledge, and wanting to learn more; and she would also be criticized if she was not involved, and did not speak knowledgeably about football and her team.”  

WATCH | Taylor Swift announced her engagement and broke the internet: 

How Taylor Swift’s engagement announcement broke the internet | Hanomansing Tonight

Liz Duff, host of the Late Night Scrolling podcast, says Taylor Swift’s engagement era will ‘unlock a whole new side of her artistry.’ The pop sensation took to Instagram on Tuesday, announcing her engagement to Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce with the caption, ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.’

‘Only because she’s a woman’

Jim Irsay’s transition plan for ownership called for his three daughters to take charge of the club. Last June, the Colts announced that Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson each would continue to hold the title of owner, which they have done since 2012 when they were named vice-chairs.

Irsay-Gordon became CEO, Foyt was named executive vice-president and Jackson became chief brand officer. All three of the sisters grew up around the Colts, just as their father did before taking over as owner following the death of his father, Robert Irsay, in 1997. 

Irsay-Gordon has represented the Colts at various NFL meetings since 2004.

Even back in June, Irsay-Gordon and the Colts have responded to accusations of micromanaging. The Colts website explained she started wearing a headset years ago, and “she’s not doing it to micromanage coaches, but to better understand the myriad intricacies that go into a single play.”

“I think that’s been very valuable, because it also helps us be able to know where do we need to make tweaks, what resources do we need, what do we need to fix,” Irsay-Gordon said in the article.

Many people have also have pointed out online that Irsay-Gordon’s headset doesn’t appear to have a microphone. So, she’s likely just monitoring, not meddling.

Finally, a number of fans are pointing to the Colts’ current winning streak, saying whatever is happening on the sidelines, it’s working.

“Colts have been on fire, what she’s doing shows she cares and that makes it way down to the coaching which makes its way down to the players,” wrote someone on X. “Calling it micromanaging is only because she’s a woman let’s be real.”