Ask any new mom, and they’ll tell you that NFL games aren’t an ideal environment for breastfeeding. But now, one forward-thinking team has made that a problem of the past: The New England Patriots have transformed 75% of their stadium’s seating into private breastfeeding pods.
Amazing! Whether you’re a Patriots fan or not, you simply can’t deny that this franchise cares about pumping in privacy!
For decades, breastfeeding at a Patriots game meant doing so out in the open surrounded by screaming, beer drunk fans, and occasionally looking up to see your infant attempting to latch onto your bare breast on the stadium’s jumbotron. Thankfully, those days are over, because this upcoming NFL season marks the debut of Gillette Stadium’s tens of thousands of private breastfeeding pods that have replaced the majority of each section’s regular seating, so that up to 49,000 new moms have access to a discreet, free-standing space to breastfeed or pump during Patriots games. Each breastfeeding pod contains a TV live-streaming the game, as well as a retractable window slot in the pod’s wall, through which lactating mothers can purchase hot dogs and soft drinks from stadium vendors so they won’t have to miss a second of the live New England football experience in order to nurse their infant.
The Patriots’ thoughtful gesture to the new mothers and wet nurses of their fanbase doesn’t stop there: The six-time Super Bowl winning franchise is also offering branded breastfeeding merchandise, including privacy nursing covers bearing text “This Breastmilk Is Reserved For Patriots Fans Only,” silicone pumps in the shape of New England mascot Pat Patriot, and breastmilk storage bags bearing the face of fan-favorite players and Head Coach Bill Belichick.
Name one other NFL team going this far out of their way to accommodate moms…we’re waiting!
Well, the Patriots have officially raised the bar for how NFL franchises can show their support for new moms. Let’s hope other teams follow in New England’s footsteps, because this is how feminist-minded football is done!
