When I read WashingtonPost.com’s headline, “Baltimore Charm, a new Lingerie Football League team, Plays up sheer Talent” I had to find out what the frack was going on. My first thought was that it was some sort of “fantasy football” promotion. Turns out the Lingerie Football League’s marketing tag line is “True Fantasy Football”. And this league is “legit” with 10 teams, a cable TV broadcast partner and sponsorships. AB is always saying “Get Money”! So the obvious point here is that it’s about the money. Why shouldn’t women play football? Why shouldn’t female athletes have their opportunity to play in front of a paying crowd? Don’t they deserve fat endorsement fees? How is it any different than the performance of the ladies on the WWE? And I sure as hell love B-more. It’s my favorite city in the DMV so if it brings in a source of revenue to a struggling city then it’s all good, right??
Then I watched the YouTube video and had a mixed reaction of repulsion and confusion.
If you don’t mind a bunch of drunken fans sitting in the stands rubbing one out it’s all good. It’s about titillation and not much else. Sure, they’re passing the ball. They’re running in touchdowns—well, at least the Philly team was. (I guess some things don’t change whether it’s a male or female league.) What confused the hell outta me is that the coach was berating his players for not tackling more. WTF?? They have on a helmet, skimpy shoulder pads and some little knee pads. You think those ladies are going to risk life and limbs tackling the opposing team with so little padding and protection? NFL players are padded from top to bottom. There is no Victoria Secret style cleavage. The most we ladies get to see is the outline of a nicely fitted cock piece on the men.
[Editor's Uncalled For Opinion: This is just straight up titillation and objectification. No need to mince words here: These ladies should just skip the gridiron altogether and go straight to the pole. Do not pass Go, do not stuff $200 in your g-string. I can't take this seriously, not when there's an actual, real women's football league (the Women's Football Alliance) that's been in existence. Those ladies (DMV folks should be familiar with the DC Divas) actually play football the way the game's intended. This lingerie crap belongs on SkineMax at 2am.]
So the Baltimore Charm Coach, Rick Reeder, says, “I'm looking for football players. This isn't about women running around in almost nothing. This is about competing.” Bullsh*t. If it was truly based on skill and competition you would not have your players wearing lingerie. Period. End of Story. Why try and sugarcoat this situation and glorify it to make it seem like these women are following in the footsteps of Billie Jean King or other female athletes who have actually broken gender barriers in professional sports?? Every person participating in the Lingerie Football League needs to stop with the asinine justifications of women playing any type of sport in panties and bra. It’s belittling and degrading to female athletes who feel that in order to compete that they have to strip down.
One final note: The final score of the evening’s Lingerie Football League was Philly over Baltimore 60-6. Hell, if I didn’t know any better I’d think the local team was outta Washington, DC after a choke like that.
Question: Is the Lingerie Football League serious sportswomanship, or just cheap titillation disguised as a sport? Would you pay good money to go see this? If 10 strippers jumped onstage with a football and some kneepads, would the net effect be the same?
Baltimore Charm, a new Lingerie Football League team, plays up sheer talent [WashPost]
