"There are some who feel there are two different kinds of people - human beings and women." - Georgia Frontiere.
As a girl raised on football, my dream was always to find a career in the sport, and the assumption was always that in doing so I would be “the first” or “the only” woman in almost any position I pursued on or off the field.
Throughout recent years, it’s been nice to see the media celebrate women as they’ve earned on-field staff positions for the first time in college and professional sports. While I never became one of these firsts and instead became a writer, my unwavering passion for the sport landed me upon the stories of those who broke through the glass ceiling before I was even born.
One in particular being Georgia Frontiere.
Frontiere was one of her many last names throughout the years. Georgia wasn’t her name at birth, and whatever she was telling people at any given time wasn’t her real age. Before marrying for the sixth time in 1980, she was Georgia Rosenbloom. And in 1979, Georgia Rosenbloom was made the first active female owner of an NFL team - the Los Angeles Rams.
Anyone who’s seen the 1981 American Express “Do You Know Me?” ad would know the basics – that she was the lady leading the Rams and their finances. The public’s opinion on her might be best portrayed in films like Major League and Any Given Sunday, through the female owners that act as caricatures of her.
As the fun-loving wife of Carroll Rosenbloom, the astrology-guided blonde socialite was beloved by those in their fame-filled circles. As the woman who was granted majority ownership of the Rams in Carroll’s will, she quickly became one of the most hated women in Los Angeles and the media.
Many thought that her sudden rise to ownership was just another opportunity for the former nightclub singer and talk show host to be the center of attention, assuming she had no knowledge or care for the game. To them, she was known for hosting glamorous parties, philanthropic events, and even entertaining guests in a section near the owner's box at the Los Angeles Coliseum dubbed “Georgia's Grandstand”.
Just months prior to Georgia being granted ownership, the nation was facing the debate of whether or not the Equal Rights Amendment would be ratified into the United States Constitution. With only thirty-five of the minimum thirty-eight states signing to guarantee equal rights under the law for all people regardless of sex, the deadline was then extended to 1982.
As noted by Joshua Neuman in his Victory Journal article “Madam Ram”, the stark contrast between Georgia being thrust into this position traditionally held by men and anti-feminist women like Phyllis Schlafly who were fighting for women to do just the opposite were evident - and certainly did Georgia no favors in how she was portrayed by the media from the very beginning.
In her first appearance as owner, she was documented as a “bosomy blonde who jiggles”, as she posed for photos while kicking a football and playing catch with quarterback Pat Haden during their summer mini-camp. Personally, I would have referred to her as an “active” NFL owner.
While the widowed mother of two teenagers was assumed by reporters to be “out shopping,” moves were being made in the front office without her knowledge. Her disgruntled stepson, who many presumed he would take ownership of the team, attempted to fire the Rams’ general manager and Carroll’s trusted friend Don Klosterman, along with making other major changes.
As a result, Georgia was left to make her first important decision as owner—one reported as a malicious mistake, rather than saving the team from changes that those close to Carroll knew were against his wishes. She fired her stepson.
"Sometimes it's eerie, talking to her on the phone. Every answer she gives is something Carroll would have said. Don't sell her short. She's a very tough lady." - Ed Hookstratten, lawyer and friend of Carroll and Georgia Rosenbloom.
Though those close to Carroll knew that Georgia was exactly who he wanted to run the team, she was unable to do anything right in the eyes of the media. As a result, Georgia refrained from making any public statements, denied all PR requests, and made herself scarce before and after team practices. She told The Washington Post before her seclusion, “Most of the sportswriters were pals of mine. On planes, I talked to them. They came to parties at our house. I was shocked to find out they weren’t my friends."
When the season began, she claimed to be ill and stayed in Los Angeles while the team traveled to Oakland for their first game. Turning to her maternal instincts, however, she sent a box of chocolates to the team plane for each of the players.
The Rams lost that first game and went on to start the season with a disappointing 4-4 record by October. Fans and loyal supporters of the team, who had finished the previous season 7-0, were furious. Who better to direct that anger at than the woman in charge?
Around this time, The Los Angeles Times published a front-page story about her. The reporters reportedly reached out to sources such as her estranged ex-husbands and angry stepson. In addition to dissecting her “flowery” bio in the 1979 Rams media guide, her chronic tardiness, and her aversion to “household duties,” the story sought to establish a definitive chronology of each of her six marriages, correct the record on her real age (51, not 42), and reveal that she gave birth to both of her children with Carroll before they were legally married.
Georgia broke her silence and drove to the Rams' facility in her Pontiac Firebird, where she joined Klosterman in the middle of the practice field for an impromptu press conference. In her speech, she charged the media with sexism, vowed that she would never sell the team—despite many assuming she would and should—and boldly predicted that, despite their current record, the Rams would make the playoffs.
Just as she promised not to cut ties with the team, she also made her way to the locker room to make a more personal vow to the players that she wasn’t going to be making any cuts—though many were expecting to be goners.
“Look at it from her perspective. When she picks up the paper and reads about herself, it’s normally not positive. She’s down on the sidelines patting players on the butt and hugging them. But because she’s a woman, people criticize her. If a guy does it to a guy, that’s OK.” - Jack Snow, who played for the team from 1965 to 1975.
Georgia chose to spend most games on the sideline, giving out infamous cheek kisses and celebratory butt-pats. Backlash was never ending, though she never let it deter her from standing beside the team through the wins and losses. Nowadays, owners such as Jerry Jones have been known to make their presence known on the sideline - praised for being “hands-on, engaging owners”.
The Sunday that the Rams hosted the Giants at home, Georgia stood on the sideline just as she did every other game. There, she and the players faced boos and taunts from their own fans before the game even started, and they lasted until the game ended with the Rams losing.
Now, Georgia isn’t remembered too kindly for moving the team to her hometown of St. Louis in 1995. But, while there are plenty of reasons why it turned out to be a solid business decision (and plenty of other owners were doing the same without as much drama), I’d bet this moment—along with the trending “Honk if you’ve been married to Georgia!” bumper stickers popping up all over town—was probably on her list of reasons.
“My grandmother had a saying: ‘Go little where wanted, go not at all where little wanted.’” - Georgia Frontiere after NFL owners approved her move from Anaheim.
Georgia’s unwavering faith in a team she thought of as family was paired with a holistic approach to running things that played a major part in the second half of the season, as well as in the long-run for the NFL as a whole. She introduced yoga to the team, which was riddled with injuries through the season, as a preventative measure that would benefit players physically and mentally.
Many mocked the idea as another way in which her womanly, eccentric ways were taking over the team. But, in the 80s, the practice became more accepted once a couple teams saw its positive impact, and since the 2000s, yoga has become widely implemented in the NFL as a way to help players both physically and mentally. Georgia also brought in financial advisors, nutritionists, and psychiatrists well before those practices became common in professional sports.
The team, led by backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo after Pat Haden’s season-ending injury, then went on a winning streak that landed them with a 9-7 record to end the regular season. This put them at the top of the NFC West and, just as Georgia had predicted, they made it to the playoffs.
NFL Films called 1979 for the Rams, “a tale of two seasons.”
Before the playoffs, however, there was important business to tend to—Georgia’s Christmas party. She invited all the players, staff, and their families to her home, as she continued to do throughout her ownership. In 1983, she even gave each of their children not-yet-released Cabbage Patch dolls.
“We all have our eccentricities, but she was a pioneer in the sports industry for women, a very caring person and a loving mother.” - John Shaw, appointed as president of the Rams by Georgia Frontiere in 1983.
The Rams were set to play the defending NFC Champions and heavily favored Cowboys in Dallas for their first playoff game. In an upset, the Rams stunned the Cowboys 21-19.
The next stop was Tampa for the NFC Championship. It was a defensive battle, with only two touchdowns scored, both of which were wiped off the scoreboard due to penalties. Once again, the Rams surprised everyone by pulling off a 9-0 win, claiming their spot in the Super Bowl—for the first time in Rams history.
While Georgia noted the obvious significance of the win for the Rams, she also made sure to acknowledge the loyalty of the Tampa Bay fans who stuck around and cheered on their team, even after the loss.
Although they lost the 1980 Super Bowl to the defending champion Steelers, they would go on to win their first Super Bowl in 2000, under the lead of undrafted Kurt Warner. The St. Louis Rams were dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf”, vindicating Georgia’s highly criticized decisions. In total, the Rams went to the playoffs fourteen times under Georgia’s ownership.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Georgia also made crucial hiring decisions. She promoted John Shaw as President in 1982, allowing her to create stability within the franchise and focus on more specific matters as owner. She also hired John Robinson in 1983, and under his leadership, the Rams had successful seasons in the 1980s, including making the playoffs multiple times. Then, Dick Vermeil in 1997, who led the Rams to their Super Bowl victory in 2000.
"Her philanthropic work was legendary and wide ranging, but her special focus was retired NFL players and the arts. She was a talented and wonderful person." - NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.
Georgia remained dedicated to her philanthropic work throughout her life, helping thousands of people and raising millions of dollars for education, healthcare, the arts, and youth development. She was a supporter of many foundations, including the St. Louis Rams Foundation which she helped establish, those for cancer research after her diagnosis, and the charities of current and former players.
By the 1982 deadline, no more states had ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. Over the following decades, efforts to revive the ERA continued. In the early 2000s, activists began to push for the removal of the deadline or the argument that the ratifications could still be valid. While it has received 38 ratifications by states, the ERA has not yet been officially added to the U.S. Constitution.
In a time when women are more accepted in the football world and sports leadership—where media outlets proudly showcase the growing group of women making their mark on the NFL—I can’t help but wonder why Georgia Frontiere still isn’t given credit as someone who broke the glass ceiling.
It's incredible how her significance as an owner continues to be swept over—allowing for the dated and sexist commentary to dominate what remains of her legacy. It’s time people recognize Georgia Frontiere for the impact she had on the Rams and the trail she blazed for women, on and off the field.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as How Georgia Frontiere Made History for Rams, Women in Sports.