Football has traditionally been considered a “manly” sport, with players typically personifying the gritty, testosterone-laden form of machismo that’s somewhat less prominent in sports such as baseball, basketball, or tennis. As such, and when compared to it, it is not considered a game women want to play, let alone appear competitive. Well, that was then, and this is now.
Starting as a novelty in Pay-Per-View during the Super Bowl halftime in the mid-2000s, the Lingerie Football League emerged in 2009 with a slew of teams, schedules, and championship games. In other words, it’s no longer a single game, played once a year for fun and entertainment, it’s now a league unto itself.
Though the initial concept was one of models playing soccer in their underwear, the league came to attract athletes who had participated in a wide range of women’s sports. For this reason, starting in the 2013 season, the league changed its name to Legends Football League and altered the season schedule from fall/winter to spring/summer.
Although the teams compete in the United States, the league has a robust following abroad. “Media outlets are more open to the LFL in international markets than here in the US,” explains Nicole Peterson, who not only works in LFL marketing, but also plays in the league. “We do have a strong fan base in places where local NFL or other sports teams support their hometown LFL teams.” He quoted how Pete Carroll publicly congratulated the Seattle Mist after winning the 2017 Legends Cup capping an undefeated season.
Peterson explained that the LFL is full contact football with rules similar to most arena leagues. “Most of the arenas in which the teams play are indoors except for Chicago and Pittsburgh and seat between 2,500 and 4,500 fans,” he continued, “And we are very excited to host the 2019 Legends Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa in September. .”
LFL is poised for continued growth as the team expands, in addition to increased marketing and merchandising efforts on the horizon moving forward. The women literally took the ball and ran with it.
The 2019 season starts on April 5.
