By Brooke Brottman

Though women have the talent and ambition to be leaders and make a difference, they still face challenges that simply do not apply to their male counterparts. However, times are changing as we experience the kind of access to new opportunities those from past generations never could have imagined.

Higher education is no longer just a formality before getting married and starting a family, or a narrow path that leads to a career as a nurse or school teacher. Most people don't define women by specific roles they're expected to fulfill anymore unless it's one of their own choosing.

From athletes and activists to executives, coaches, and more, this group of women is diverse and spans a variety of sports and fields, but all of these women share something in common: They’re all changing the game.

Alyssa Nakken, Baseball

San Francisco Giants Assistant Coach Alyssa Nakken broke down many barriers since becoming named the first female baseball coach in Major League Baseball history. She made history again this summer when she walked out on the field to coach at first base during the Giants exhibition game against the Oakland A's. It was the first time ever that a female has coached during an MLB baseball game. Nakken was hired by the Giants Head Coach Gabe Kappler in January. A former standout softball player at Sacramento State, Nakken had worked for six years in the Giants' front office before taking on her role as an Assistant Coach.

Callie Brownson, Football

Cleveland Brown’s Chief of Staff Callie Brownson will become the first woman to coach a position group during an NFL regular-season game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brownson will serve as the team's Tight Ends Coach in place of Drew Petzing. Brownson played in the Women's Football Alliance from 2010-2017 for the D.C. Divas, where she was a safety and running back. She joined the New York Jets as a scouting intern in 2017 and was hired by Dartmouth as a quality control coach from 2018 to 2019. She was hired as the Browns Chief of Staff under Coach Kevin Stefanski this season.

Becky Hammon, Basketball

Hammon, who played 16 seasons in the WNBA, became the first woman to serve as a full-time Assistant Coach with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. The following year, she became the first Head Coach in the NBA's Summer League. Hammon guided the Spurs' Las Vegas summer team to the title in 2015. In 2018, she was promoted to the front of the Spurs' bench.

Jessica Mendoza, Baseball

Mendoza, who is a former Olympic softball player, became the first woman game analyst for a Men’s College World Series telecast in June 2015. Later that year she became the first female analyst to work a nationally televised MLB playoff game when she called the American League Wild-Card game between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Now, she's a regular unit on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball." The Mets hired Mendoza as a Baseball Operations Adviser ahead of the 2019 season. She was dropped from the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast after the 2019 season but remains an ESPN Baseball Analyst. Mendoza was recently named by the fans and experts to the Greatest College Softball Team as an outfielder, one of only three to achieve that honor.

Kathryn Smith, Football

Smith became the first female full-time Assistant Coach in NFL history on Jan. 20, 2016, when the Buffalo Bills named her Special Teams Quality Control Coach. Smith spent the 2015 season working as an Administrative Assistant for Bills assistant coaches on former Head Coach Rex Ryan's staff. She spent 12 seasons working for the Jets in various capacities, including a Player Personnel Assistant from 2007-13. In 2014, Smith served as the Jets assistant to the head coach in Ryan's final season in New York.

Danica Patrick, Motor Racing

Danica, who was the first woman to ever win an IndyCar race,  also became the first woman to win the pole position for a Nascar Sprint Cup race. She did that at the Daytona 500 and finished eighth in that race on Feb. 24, 2013, the best finish by a female in Nascar history. Although Patrick wasn't the first professional female driver, she's the only one to lead both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, and the only one to win an IndyCar Series race. Her impact on auto racing goes beyond her accomplishments on the track. Patrick boosted ratings,  attracted new fans, and she has inspired the next wave of female drivers.

Shannon Eastin, Football

Eastin was the first female official to enter the NFL. During the 2012 NFL lockout, Eastin made history as the first female to officiate a regular-season NFL game, working as a line judge in the season opener between the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions. 

Ronda Rousey, MMA

Rousey who is a former Olympic medal-winning judoka (America's first female winner) forced the UFC to take notice and create a women's division. She was the first female to sign a deal with the world's largest MMA promotion, headlined UFC 157 on Feb. 23, 2013, and defeated Liz Carmouche in the first fight. After setting the record for most UFC title defenses by a woman (6), Rousey had her first professional loss in MMA when she lost her title to Holly Holm In 2018, she became the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Kim Ng, Baseball

Kim Ng, the Miami Marlins' new General Manager, is the first female GM in MLB history. Ng is also the first Asian-American general manager in baseball history. She won three World Series titles with New York before leaving in 2001 when she joined the Dodgers as an Assistant General Manager. Ng left Los Angeles in 2011 and became MLB's Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations in the commissioner's office.

Sarah Fuller, Football

Sarah Fuller has made history as the first woman to play in a Power Five college football game. The Vanderbilt University senior made her historic debut as a kicker for the Commodores in their faceoff Saturday against the University of Missouri Tigers. She kicked off for the Commodores to start the second half, making her the first woman to see game-time action in a Power Five football game. Although it was her first time playing for the football team, Fuller is no stranger to Vanderbilt sports. She made her first start as the goalkeeper for the Vanderbilt women's soccer team on Oct. 11. On Sunday, she made three saves in a game against the University of Arkansas that won her team the SEC Tournament Championship title, its first since 1994. 

It's no longer just a man's world when it comes to athletics.

Women's sports have evolved. Today, women have their own professional sports leagues, and more females are participating in sports than ever before. Over the past twenty years, women’s sports have dramatically increased through professional organizations driving more viewership.

Before the 1970s women’s sports were almost nonexistent. Few women wanted to play sports and there were even fewer who actually did. In almost every sport, the women’s side of the sport has increased dramatically in the past few years.

In most of the sports, the youth programs have increased which has helped the college and professional leagues increase as well.

You can follow Brooke on Twitter @Brottman_10.