Thoughts on the LFL

The first time I heard about the Lingerie Football League (LFL) I thought it was just another gimmick to entertain men and boost program ratings. Not being a big sports fan, and never seeing a game, I just brushed it off as very feminine women prancing around the field with little skills in football. Again not being a big sports fan I paid no further notice until the subject came up in one of our classes and I happened to come across an article on Pulse, from Deadspin.com titled, The Lingerie Football League Hopes Michael Jackson’s Daughter Will Help Develop “Future LFL athletes”. My first reaction was, “Oh God, another publicity stunt”, but it suddenly sparked a curiosity in me to find out what was really going on here. So I did some research on the LFL and was surprised at what I found. First off it was obvious the women were good looking and very athletic, but some of my initial assumptions of the LFL were wrong. Not only were these girls mostly former athletes, but I was pleasantly surprised they were very tough and good at football. Now I know this may sound sexist but let me explain. I have never seen women play football before and I was never aware that there was such a desire to do so, so it was cool to see them play well. To speak on how tough these women were, well they wear fewer pads than the men do, and are hitting and taking each other down ferociously. I found the games entertaining, I’m not going to lie I’m a man and the women were beautiful, but more for the way they played football with such enjoyment and enthusiasm as serious athletes. They were picking fights and taunting each other, I got just as pumped up as I would watching the NFL. You could tell they were having a blast out there on the field just as anyone else would playing the sport they love. I do feel that this is still typical of our society and how it objectifies women. It was interesting to hear what some of the LFL players had to say though. Krystal Gray from the New York Majesty said, “We play because we really love football and this uniform just comes with the territory”, she also goes on to say, “We don’t think about the uniform...It’s such a fast game you don’t have time to think about what your wearing”. Marie Nicole also from the New York Majesty said, “We have been doing things for years that men say we can’t do, this is just the next thing”. What I gathered from this is that these women have a true passion to play football and that they are willing to look past or dismiss being objectified if it means they get to play the sport they love.
I truly don’t know how I feel about the LFL. I give the women credit that they are doing what they have to do to play football. Do they truly look past the uniform, or is it a matter of limited opportunity? There are several other leagues like the NWFA, IWFL and the WFA where women wear the standard football gear and uniform. I’m not sure what is more beneficial or provides the most opportunities. I hope the reason the women of the LFL play is because it’s their choice and not because it’s the better choice. It would be nice to eventually see a unified professional league of women’s football come together so that they can have all play with the same opportunities.
Jason Trapschuh Kin 332I sec. 3