We’re looking forward to introducing you to Andra Douglas. Check out our conversation below.
Andra, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Many, many moment make me laugh because life is full of humor and if you don’t find it, you won’t have much of one.
I feel so very proud of my recent art show at LeMoyne Arts in Tallahassee, Florida. The gallery displayed my work so professionally and, having gone to school at FSU as well as having family who live there, I still know quite a few people. When nearly everyone I know in Tallahassee, from long ago to newly acquainted friends, showed up at the opening, my heart thumped with pride. Family and friendships mean a lot to me and thinking of their support makes me tear up. lol!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Andra Douglas. I live in New York City and am an athlete, artist and author. After graduating from Florida State University, I left for New York City to earn a master’s degree in communications from Pratt Institute. After working at Cosmopolitan Magazine and Money Magazine, I became a Vice President, Creative at Atlantic Records/WarnerVision Entertainment.
In 2000, I acquired the New York Sharks, (nysharksfootball.com) a women’s tackle football team and played quarterback for 5 years. After 20 seasons of play, I sold the team, but the Sharks retired arguably as the “winningest” and longest operating women’s tackle football team in the world.
In 2003, I established the Fins Up Foundation for Female Athletes, a foundation whose mission is to provide opportunities for 13–17-year-old “at-risk” girls to learn the sport of football as well as the life skills that accompany it. The foundation has recently been rebranded as the Women’s Gridiron Foundation. (womensgridironfoundation.org)
Last summer, (2024) my Sharks’ uniform and helmet went on permanent display in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio for my ‘pioneering leadership and accomplishments’ including many ‘firsts’ in both flag and tackle football. Results of the pioneers of my era and their efforts are apparent as Flag Football for women will be an Olympic sport in Los Angeles, 2028.
My experience of owning and playing for the Sharks inspired my first novel titled ‘Back & Blue; Love, Sports and the Art of Empowerment’ which Universal Television has optioned for a series. My second book, ‘Changing Cadence; Life, Games and the Art of Transition’, which is also inspired by the Sharks and my family, will be released in the winter of 2025.
My artwork has been ongoing since I was a child. The recent show at LeMoyne Arts featured the series Black & Blue which highlights the courageous spirit of the 100+ women’s tackle football teams throughout the world. Providing refuge from the brazen commercialism of the NFL, poetic expressions, depict the close-up emotions of the athletes and coaches. I offer this work as a tribute to the female football players of all leagues and ages who have been and remain fueled by the force of their convictions.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Quite some time ago, I was practicing a pass play at a Sharks practice and one of my coaches told me to keep throwing until I had it perfect. “Confidence is born of demonstrated ability!” he told me. He was right and it made me think back to when I was young, maybe 10-12 years old, when the neighborhood kids and I played sports in the field behind my house. I discovered that I was good at sports and football, in particular. The more I ‘demonstrated my ability,’ the more confident I became. Confidence, I believe, is a form of power and I began to believe in myself in other things besides sports. Today, every time I ‘demonstrate ability’ I think back to my coaches impactful words and those meaningful times on the field behind my house. Confidence is belief. Belief is power.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I don’t think this has held me back and perhaps, conversely, it has inspired me, but my family and many of my friends describe me as ‘fearless.’ That’s not necessarily true. The greatest fear I have harbored during my life— aside from snakes, hahaha—has been mediocrity. It’s an irritant to me if I can’t rise at least several notches above my self-set gauge of mediocrity. In sports, artwork, jobs, even attending to my family and friendships, I don’t have to be perfect, or even the best, as long as it’s not mediocre. I haven’t always succeeded but it’s something will always I strive for.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Kindness, loyalty, integrity and humor. My parents displayed all of these attributes and I try to follow their lead. I have found and witnessed that navigating life on this planet is not easy, no matter who you are, how powerful you are, how much you believe in yourself or what you were born into. Kindness, loyalty, integrity, and humor has propelled me through some tight spots. As I mature, it has become easier for me to demonstrate these things. My eyesight might not be 2020 anymore, but my hindsight sure is.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
If my legacy lies within the sport of women’s football, the thing most misunderstood would be the passion all of the women involved had—players, team owners, coaches and staff. All we wanted was to simply play the game we loved. It’s a travesty to have been ridiculed, mocked, and treated as second class people—no, third— just because we wanted to play a so-called ‘man’s sport. I will never understand why human beings can’t be more generous in their views and kind in their spoken opinions.
Contact Info:
- Website: andradouglasart.com, nysharksfootball.com
- Facebook: New York Sharks Women’s Pro Football team
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