Tess Olofsson: Breaking Barriers as a Trailblazing Football Referee

Police protection escorts her from the arena when the match ends. International football referee Tess Olofsson knows what it's like to be the target of football fans' frustrations.

She is the first woman to officiate men's teams at the elite level and to be paid full-time for it, rather than juggling police work, family, and passion.

Olofsson is impressive. Under intense pressure, with all the hard work of an elite athlete, minus the fans' cheers.

It's a shame we don't hear more about what it's really like.

Her summer talk spans from her first contact with a football at age five (love) to preparing for the European Championship in Switzerland. It's rhapsodic, and I wish she could pause and delve into her successful career.

But Olofsson moves quickly across the field. Most things are brushed off as "fun" or "tough."

Yet, there's so much interesting to explore: the obsession with maintaining a well-trained and attractive physique—she constantly checks her body fat percentage. At the same time, she loves baking.

Her career comes first; she doesn't dare risk her physical peak with a pregnancy. Meanwhile, her wife manages the daily life of their family when she travels the world, even though Olofsson tries to "help out." Gender roles in a same-sex relationship are not simple either.