Play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins is breaking the typical mold of a National Football League (NFL) sports announcer simply by being a female. While she is not the first female to actually commentate a NFL game, she is the first female to commentate a game that is nationally televised.

Mowins recently signed a new multi year extension to stay with ESPN and will be the first female to play-by-play announce since Gayle Sierens, who called the regional broadcast of a regular-season final in 1987. Alongside former Buffalo Bills and New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, Mowins will be calling the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos on September 11, 2017. The game  will be ESPN’s opening Monday Night Football doubleheader.

According to ESPN Media Zone, Mowins has been a commentator for ESPN since 1994 and has experience commentating preseason NFL games. She mostly commentates college level games which she has done since 2005, and announces during the Women’s College World Series for over 20 years.

Mowins colleagues seem to be very supportive of her and her accomplishment. ESPN Media Zone quoted Stephanie Druley, senior vice president of event and studio production, as saying, “Beth has been an important voice in our college sports coverage and she has experience calling NFL preseason games. She deserves this opportunity.”

Along with her colleagues, Mowins is very excited for the opportunity. She said, “This is an amazing opportunity and I look forward to working with Rex and our entire ESPN team. As lifelong fans of the NFL Monday Night Football franchise, we want to bring the same passion to the broadcast as our predecessors have all done.”

NPR explained why it took so long for another women to be given this role. They shared a piece of a Sports Illustrated article which shared that there are only 20 spots open for play-by-play broadcasters each year.

NPR added that Kate Scott, 49ers radio announcer, told Sports Illustrated that there’s “no pipeline” for women who want to go into play-by-play announcing, simply because there are so few examples for women to look up to. However, Sierens named Mowins as “the perfect person to carry the torch.”