Players in the lingerie football league
The Lingerie Football League (LFL) is coming to Australia in June and I won’t be watching.
As Minister for Sport, I can’t abide a spectacle that degrades women and threatens to undermine the progress of women in sport in Australia.
Today women involved in sport at all levels – players, coaches, administrators and volunteers – are still fighting for recognition. In the year 2012 we should be applauding the athletic feats and sportsmanship of our female athletes, not screening a show to provide cheap titillation to a few.
I deliberately call it a show, because that’s how LFL started. It began as half-time entertainment and it’s now being peddled as the fastest growing ‘sport’ in the world for women.
The purveyors of LFL can’t be described as genuine fans of women’s sport and I don’t imagine they’d be as enthusiastic about gridiron if their favourite male team was forced to play in similar attire.
The LFL is about giving viewers an opportunity to perv on women in gear that looks like it’s come from an adult shop. It’s called the Lingerie Football League because it’s almost exclusively about the underwear.
It offends me that the promoters are hiding behind the guise of LFL being a ‘sport’. Lingerie Football objectifies and exploits women by trading on their sexuality to make money pure and simple. The LFL perverts the concept of ‘sport’ to make a profit and in doing so the promoters abandon the concept that sport should be a celebration of great athletic talent to inspire the next generation of kids to give it a go.
Lingerie Football isn’t just a distraction; it’s an assault on sport. Anyone who’s participated in sport, or followed a team, can attest to the fact sport is an incredibly powerful platform for social inclusion. The problem with Lingerie Football is that in sexualising the game of gridiron they’re undermining any future for broader inclusion in the sport, inevitably making it harder for women to make inroads or receive equitable treatment.
I am particularly concerned that young women watching the LFL will form the unfortunate view they can only ever hope to be taken seriously or even noticed in sport if they get their kit off.
As a community we’re opposed to the exploitation of women and our values determine we rebuke any sporting codes that don’t treat women with respect. Sadly, these values are undermined by the LFL which is about sexualising women in sport for entertainment purposes.
Lingerie Football League
Don’t get me wrong, there is little doubt that the women involved in the LFL are athletes. Many of their profiles indicate some have played at the highest level in previous sports. My point is these women have impressive skills that would still be evident with all their clothes on.
While the LFL players are willing participants, I contend they should be getting paid for playing because they’re great athletes, not because they have consented to exposing their bodies in ridiculous, sexualised costumes.
Perhaps one of the factors creating the pre-conditions for the emergence of the LFL includes the lack of opportunity for well-produced, dynamic, exciting, televised competitions with appropriately paid female sports stars.
The percentage of women’s team sports competition that get well promoted coverage with high production values is still in single digits and this limits the earning power of female athletes.
Content directors and television programming decision makers should contemplate this: How would they react if their pre-teen daughters put on lacy underwear and shoulder pads and declared their aspiration to play in the LFL?
Sports participation and an active lifestyle are things to be encouraged in all young people and encouraging young girls to maintain an active lifestyle through their teens is a big challenge not assisted by the LFL. It’s going to be hard to entice women into sport when the LFL fosters a culture that makes the focus of sport for women how they look in a bra, knickers and suspenders, rather than their performance on the field. We know already that body image, including the design and fit of sports uniforms, is a factor in whether teenage girls keep playing sport.
As Minister for Sport I’m keenly aware that the media profile of the sport women and girls play still has a way to go, but it’s building in strength and scale, albeit too slowly!
But we can do so much better than LFL. And most importantly, our daughters deserve more.
Australia is a sport-loving nation and the competition among sports for talent is intense. For the women that are considering playing in the proposed Australian LFL I urge you to take your talent elsewhere and join a sport that respects you as an athlete and a woman.
And if it’s the physical contact you like, why not try the Rugby Sevens? They’re going to Rio in 2016 and they have a serious chance at coming home with Gold!
Senator Kate Lundy is the Minister for Sport, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation.
The LFL is launching in Australia in June. The founder of the LFL has responded to Minister Lundy’s comments here.
Will you be watching the Lingerie Football League?
Comments
214 Comments so far
24hr Lingerie Australia is an Established Online Lingerie Retailer Since 2001 deals in quality Lingerie in Australia
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Ive watched LFL, and while they look fabulous, these women are real athletes, with real talent. While I respect your idealism, sport is a businesses that survives on ticket sales, endorsements, and TV ratings, and female versions of team sports seem to struggle having their bases covered. I’m not making a sweeping statement here. WNBA, and Soccer (in US) seem to be heading in the right direction.
If these women have to put on a kinky outfit to play the sprot they love, good on them. Last I checked, this is Australia, not Saudi Arabia, and women have rights.
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A good idea a sport but not a great idea on what to wear. Beware LFL USA is coming to Australia and a league is already underway in NSW to start women playing in knickers, it is called the Ladies Gridiron League and it supported by the NSW Gridiron League and it is asking to join Gridiron Australia.
From the facebook page of LGL, June 17th 2012,
Another great result for the LGL/LFL relationship. The LGL will be responsible for training & coaching the girls selected for LFL Sydney & LFL Brisbane until next year. We will role out the details/structure in the next couple of weeks. Current LGL girls are to stay with their current teams for now. No other league or association are allowed to have selected LFL girls on their roster except the LGL. Any questions in the interim, please speak to me directly. Cheers, AB
Sure let the women play in similar to beach volleyball or athletics but once it is lingerie then we are talking about pure sexism to sex a sport up.
Tell LGL enough is enough and to stop training women to play gridiron in skimpy lingerie. Tell Gridiron Australia this lacy sport is not wanted in Australia. LGL is planning to play lingerie football action is required now!
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Do you realise that LGL girls don’t play in lingerie? It’s an amateur league for girls who want to play gridiron and they play in similar outfits to what you would see on the oztag field – lots of girls play that, do you also have an issue with that they wear? Before you blatantly give people false information perhaps you should do your research Paul!
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Hi Stacey
If you read carefully I said it would be fine to wear similar clothing as to other sport and I don’t condone wearing of lacey lingerie in the sport of gridiron. A sport I play btw. So I do know ALL the facts.
What I don’t like is that LGL is training the girls to join the USA meat market to play this sport and to introduce it in to Australia as a competition in 2013.
So before you attack me for being against LGL why dont you read my post and give the honest truth to what I asked? Why is LGL training girls for Lingerie Football USA and not anyone else who is promoting this sport. What is the hidden agenda? Why did LGL approach Gridiron Australia to affiliate with it? Why doesnt LGL just go and affiliate with LFL USA who they are training ladies to play for?
Paul
Stacey I am very well educated on this issue, more than you would know after living and breathing this American sport gridiron for 25 years now.
Can you explain the comment from Adrian Brown on the LGL facebook page why LGL is the only competition to train LFL USA players from Australia therefore promoting lingerie football in Australia and trying to link into Gridiron Australia under the impression the women are going to play full uniform Gridiron when the promotion to join them is to go play lingerie football?
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Hi Stacey
If you read carefully I said it would be fine to wear similar clothing as to other sport and I don’t condone wearing of lacey lingerie in the sport of gridiron. A sport I play btw. So I do know ALL the facts.
What I don’t like is that LGL is training the girls to join the USA meat market to play this sport and to introduce it in to Australia as a competition in 2013.
So before you attack me for being against LGL why dont you read my post and give the honest truth to what I asked? Why is LGL training girls for Lingerie Football USA and not anyone else who is promoting this sport. What is the hidden agenda? Why did LGL approach Gridiron Australia to affiliate with it? Why doesnt LGL just go and affiliate with LFL USA who they are training ladies to play for?
Stacey I am very well educated on this issue, more than you would know after living and breathing this American sport gridiron for 25 years now.
Can you explain the comment from Adrian Brown on the LGL facebook page why LGL is the only competition to train LFL USA players from Australia therefore promoting lingerie football in Australia and trying to link into Gridiron Australia under the impression the women are going to play full uniform Gridiron when the promotion to join them is to go play lingerie football?
Paul
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To Stacey
Just to provide more information to enlighten the readers of this topic. Shari Onley LFL Australia is a friend of LGL and plays in the LGL in Sydney and mentions in about her that she is for LFL Australia. (this being the lingerie competition)
quote – Lingerie Football League (LFL) Sydney defensive player. Proudly Sponsored Athlete at Vitamin King. ….. LFL is the next big sport in Australia, that’s a promise. Come and support us you’ll be guaranteed a show of athleticism combined with beauty! LFL Australia is Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane kicking off December 2013. GAME ON!
Please note that LFL Australia above is Lingerie Football League Australia,
Shari Onley is a friend of Adrian Brown LGL and has trained with the LGL. This is a direct connection that an Aussie based league linking itself with Gridiron Australia the national body of American Football in Australia is selling our women to the meat market of USA.
If women want respect then fight for the cause for equal rights to sponsorship and dont turn your back on the women who fought so hard to win women the right to vote.
LGL is hiding behind playing women in full kit gridiron when in fact they are being the face of Lingerie Football Australia.
Adrian Brown – Ladies Gridiron League (LGL)
Owner/Managing Director – Why is a man in control of this and not a woman?
I know this won’t be answered because if it is then people like Adrian Brown will need to tell the Australian public his connection with Mitch Montaza and how he is the exclusive coach and trainer for Lingerie Football League Australia.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
I can see you’re extremely passionate about this but first of all I need to clarify I was not suggesting you were not informed about gridiron or know anything about the sport. I suggested the last statement you made in your initial post: “LGL is planning to play lingerie football action is required now” shows that you are not informed about the LGL uniform.
As a girl who has been training with the LGL I can tell you that’s not what we play in. Not all of the girls that play are aspiring to play in the LFL, we are not being groomed to play in the LFL nor are we being pressured to wear anything or told that we will ultimately have to play LFL– a lot of us just genuinely want to play football – myself included!
Obviously as a player I have no idea about the LGL/LFL relationship you mentioned, but it seems you already know the right people to contact in regards to this, and please excuse me if you have done so already, but perhaps have you thought about emailing them through to get answers??
As far as I was aware re: training the LFL girls, the girls who were selected to play in the LFL were allowed to continue training with the LGL until coaches ect were found for the LFL team. From what I can see there has been a large number of support from many of the NSW men’s teams to help coach and support the LGL. We are currently coached by former players and coaches of the NSW Wolfpack and Australian Outback team and personally I am so thankful to be around such amazing and talented coaches who are just as passionate about football as we are – they aren’t getting paid to coach us, they’re doing it for the love of the game – if you love gridiron as much as you say you do why are you so ignoring all this positivity surrounding it and focusing solely on the negatives?
I completely understand that the LFL is not everyone’s cup of tea, a lot of the girls I play with aren’t interested in playing LFL they just want the opportunity to play football for fun which is, as far as I can see, what the LGL is offering.
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Reasons why this is not the same as male AFL players in short shorts or American football players in tights or female beach volley-ball players or swimmers:
1. THE OBJECT (that is, the ‘thing’ that is objectified) is not strength, nor the rules of the game, or the thrill of competition, but the player’s body which is fetishized with lacey or pink or leather or strappy underwear. We’re talking bras and panties, not crop tops and briefs. I’m not hating on lingerie, my stash could rival that of a salesperson that gets a good discount at Victoria’s Secret, but I wear that shit for myself (and sometimes my partner) and it’s not to brew the male gaze times one billion.
2. Do you think the spectators of LFL would watch women play football in shorts and a t-shirt? No way. They’d be all like ‘I’m going to watch REAL football with MEN’. So let us call a spade a spade. At least be honest about it. I’d rather my brother say ‘I’m going to watch LFL on Friday night with the boys… to perve on fit chicks touching each other and racing around an oval while we all watch’ rather than him so ‘oh al it’s for the sport….’ (I highly doubt he would say the latter, but at least he wouldn’t be lying)
3. I just finished watching an interview with a friendly girl called Chloe from Aus who plays over in the states. Good for you hun. She seems quite nice and fun and she’s very fit, she was a gymnast, etc. But bitch please don’t tell me this is a positive thing for body image. As I type, girls like me in their early twenties are shaking in their ughs because THIS TYPE OF SHIT (OBJECTIFYING WOMEN ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC) CHANGES HOW SOME MEN SEE WOMEN.
It goes way beyond jealousy for me. It’s not even about how strong and athletic and healthy some of these girls are. I don’t want these expectations on me or my sisters… it freaks me out…. as a victim of sexual abuse when I was a child, this makes me very nervous because it’s a scary, scary thing when somebody looks you in the eye and you know they see you differently and as one thing only, as a body, as an empty shell, as a thing that can be pushed around and made a vessel for fantasy.
I know not all men are like this, my boyfriend isn’t, but I don’t think we should encourage this weird male gaze shit (it’s bad enough as it is) because it’s just going to change how some people see women.
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While I am pleased that the minister has slammed the LFL, I suggest that she devotes more energy to promoting women’s sport by addressing sponsorship inequities, funding participatory sport for young women and mandating greater media coverage. The inadequate attention to these vital areas does more to undermine the progress of women in sport than this stupid ‘knickers’ league ever could. In this country, the prowess and success of female athletes is evident in soccer, rugby, cricket, AFL, basketball and field hockey (just to name a few). These are exciting sports to watch, yet they are not huge spectator sports in this country. One reason for this is the mainstream media’s obsession with the male equivalents. They report on what an AFL player has for breakfast, yet with the exception of a couple of megastars (like Elise Perry and Nikki Hudson), the media have never bothered to represent female athletes as ‘personalities’ (let alone elite performers at the top of their sport). In addition to media invisibility, the other ‘barrier’ that female athletes face is they cannot appear too strong, powerful or rugged as they will be perceived as “butch dykes”…so let’s put them in lingerie to ‘feminize them’, that way, we ‘maintain an arbitrary gap’ between men and women.
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If it makes you happy to run around in your underwear while people perve at you, go for it! Whatever your perspective- its a free country- watch it, dont watch it, who gives a shit. Personally, I figure you may as well take a pole out onto the field with you girls. No one would probably deny your athleticism- frankly i congratulate you on it and hope you kick ass. I only have one concern: when will lingerie footy be played? Because if it becomes half time fun at the footy all major codes involved better brace themselves for a massive drop in family ticket sales and memberships. It wont matter what colour (ie: pink) jersey you wear to promote various womens causes, your thoughts on women will be firmly stamped on the lacey bits of fabric hanging by the nipples of the lingerie footys quarterback. And I sure as hell wont be attending a single footy match of any sort, where lingerie football will be on display, with my children.
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These garbage sports, such as the LFL are only in existence due to their growth from such things as grid girls, and cheer leaders. These are side show entertainment purely for men to ogle and ‘objectify’. We all know men are driven by sex, but there has to be a limit to what women are prepared to do in order to get a splice of men’s pay cheques. I’m sure if during their games the LFL girls gave oral sex to each other, or used dildos etc. they would get an even bigger slice of the male pay cheque. Just because it is a way to make money DOES NOT make it right. They are undermining every woman who wishes to be taken seriously. If no one objects to this path our society is choosing to take we are going to be forced to take it. What a huge backwards step for women this is. Women are not meant to be play things for men. And as for the argument that the women WANT to do it so stop picking on them… Anyone who disrespects themselves that much does not deserve any publicity. Why can’t they aim higher to be recognised as athletes, equal to men, with their clothes on?
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Well said Senator!!! I won’t be watching either!!!!
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I agree that LFL is the wrong way for girls and women to boast their major accomplishments in sport and being such a great athlete, but unfortunately this seems to be the only way to draw attention to women’s sport and how they excel in it. This is evident even on the nightly news when really the only sport publicized is men’s. I totally support that LFL is wrong, but how else are we meant to finally bring attention to the fabulous women sportsman that Australia has.
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What’s the difference between football in bra and knickers and beach volleyball for women? There on Bondi beach for the Olympics were our proud gold medalists, diving on the sand in skimpy bikinis. It could be argued, hey, it was on the beach, bikinis are what you wear there. Male beacy volleyballers, however, were clad from neck to knees.
Minister, a nice article, but put your venom to changing society, not just one little section of it that very few will watch.
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Lisa, there is clearly a big difference. I would feel fairly comfortable walking along the beach in a bikini. I wouldn’t feel right strolling around in skimpy lingerie anywhere unless it was a private thing as posted by Hm below.
Why stop at LFL? Why not G-string Boxing? Dry Hump Dancing (Girls only thanks) Because it’s bloody porny that’s why. Ugh!
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You know the only time I feel the néed to dress like that? When I’m in the privacy of my own home.
To all the people saying “they are comfortable doing it” yeah we’ll that’s Great but they are making me UNCOMFORTABLE.
Lingerie=for the bedroom
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… and only 18 “likes” on their facebook page … when the director says he’s sold thousands of tix for the upcoming australian games?? says it all, really …
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… at least it will guarantee some TV coverage and sponsorship dollars for women’s sport!! ugh …
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Im fairly late to this article. Some of the comments are interesting food for thought. It all feels very “league of their own” to me.
I fail to see why the women can’t wear sports pants and tops at least, lingerie cwnt be comfortable or prtective to play sports in.It seems a shame that there is no other real opportunity for these women to play at the “elite” level.
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I live in the US and I am a fan of the Chicago team. The commissioner of this league is not a good person. He is selfish and greedy and not an honest person. He keeps leading the women on about a new tv station to show the games but he does not have one. He burned the bridge with his only hope. He burns a lot of bridges.
He is rude to the women and fires or suspends players at his whim. He did that to our best player, and the best defensive player in the league. She didn’t celebrate well enough so he suspended her for the 2nd half of a big game. Then she wouldn’t play for free and he said that he suspended her.
I actually date one of the Chicago girls and hear a lot of what happens around the league. Just do a google search on him and look at the results.
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Might also be nice to read something from the other side of the argument… not just this one side.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/05/25/418641_gold-coast-news.html
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Cross country jelly wrestling without the jelly. Empowering!
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Just looking at the outfits from a purely practical point of view, who the hell wants to go sliding across the pitch with a hard metal or plastic suspender clip digging into their thigh or into someone else’s anatomy? Ouch!
This is a contact sports played at speed on a hard surface that harbours potential pathogens. I wonder if the new OHS legislation could be used against the clubs if players identified and reported potential risk.
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Not to mention the idea of a bow tie in a contact sport!!! Other sports require you to remove any potential dangers….. Oh yes, and they wear real uniforms too…….
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I agree with Kate Lundy’s points. Thank you for speaking out when it’s necessary. I would watch if they were wearing full football gear and paid equally to what men are paid. Otherwise, no, I will Not be watching this. Some alternative needs to be provided, so that women who want to play pro-football Do have a choice between playing in full gear and playing exposed.
I don’t know the job description of ‘minister for sport’, so I may be incorrect in this, but how does the minister for sport not have the authority over whether the LFL comes to Australia? We women and our daughters are counting on those in power to do what they can for us. Thank you.
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Typical politician desperately trying to find a cause to justify their own miserable existance. The women play this game because they want to not because they have to and know what they will be wearing long before signing up. What business is it of yours if this game exists? Your not being asked to play it or watch it and if you dont like it change the channel. If my daughter wanted to play Id be in the stands proudly watching and supporting her. To you nay sayers, who I have nothing but contempt for, I say this…pull your head in and get a life and show some respect to the women who have the courage to do this, whether you agree or not.
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*Rolls eyes*
I’m sorry, but what is the PURPOSE of the women in this football team strutting around in their bra n undies while playing a sport? I don’t see the need for it. It’s disgraceful.
As if men everywhere don’t have enough to ogle at.
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I’ve recently started playing in the Australian Ladies Football League, not to be confused with the Lingerie League but we do play in sporty crops, shorts and all the protective gear. (Our cleavage is covered up as normal shoulder pads do cover over the sternum). What I love about it and like the Lingerie League is the fact that it does let our femininity shine through, we’re not boys, and we don’t want to dress like them! We’re still rough, and we play just as hard as they do (the bruises! my god!!) but the male style uniform just isn’t flattering, and I don’t want to play sport in something that doesn’t flatter me,
Ultimately, the girls who play are doing so by choice, just as people have the choice not to watch, let their children watch, or like it. Like music videos being overtly sexual, just turn it off.
Lots of sports uniforms show just as much, just without lace!
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Meh, the only thing wrong here is that the women don’t have enough protection.
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I would like Kate Lundy to advise why women’s magazines have so little about women’s sport in them. Is it possibly because women aren’t interested in it as much as men?
Watch a rerun of Kitty Flannery in The Project of 23/05/2012 and you might get my drift.
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people do realise that netball dresses are pretty much doing the same thing because of the tightness and how short they are (i do play netball and deal with this every day).
it may entice guys to watch it at first but they actually realise that these people can play sport. i should know, i lived with guys who watched it.
honestly, this is pretty much good marketing (which then means more money for the players) and if they are comfortable, then why shouldn’t they play the sport they want to professionally?
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I prefer the tight netball dresses to play in. They’re much easier to move in and far more comfortable than a shirt and skirt.
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I also like wearing the tighter netball dresses, but there is always something for they guys to perve at when they are there.
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There always was. I played for years with a rugby club, and on the one day a year they had a bye we used to have “Gents day” at netball (same as they’d have Ladies Day at footy) and people used to get really freaked out by the idea of the guys being there. Then they realised that once our games started we were too busy concentrating on what we were doing, and the boys were paying attention to what was happening and supporting their club to be perving. Girls often say “Oooh, blah blah scrubs up alright in his footy kit”, I don’t see any difference in the boys thinking/commenting the same at netball.
This LFL is a bunch of crap though. Having fallen on astroturf, you need protection from that shit! It cuts you like glass. And netball uniforms aren’t designed to tittilate, I don’t think the same can be said for footy in a sexy bra and knickers combo!
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So tired of the constant bleating about the poooor wimminz. Grow up, ladies.
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Disgusting. I was just listening to John Safran’s podcast and in interviewing a “young feminist” he asked (paraphrasing) whether she thought women’s issues were still as important as ever or have we moved forward enough. Thankfully she said she thought we were moving backwards, and every time we think the battle is over something like this pops up.
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The fact of the matter is LFL attracts sponsors and with sponsors comes $$$. In the USA LFL players get paid thousands for one game. The Aussie 7′s girls are not getting paid and many juggle work with training and touring. I do not endorse LFL, rather call on the Australian Government to make 7′s more financially viable for those that work for it.
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Awesome call. I love someone with a solution!
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The LFL players in the US are NOT PAID at all, let alone thousands for one game.
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not only are the women not paid, they have to pay to play. all so the sleezy owner lines his pockets. im a big fan of the seattle team and learned a ton for a couple of them. the owner is awful. do not go to the games and do not play forhis teams.
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The women who compete in the game absolutely love it. Like Victoria’s Secret models, women who appear on Playboy and anything else in this world that older, heavier, and less attractive women seem to get their knickers in a knot about (no points for guessing why), these women are doing something they love. Why the debate?
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Why the debate? Because they have to strip down to their underwear, sacrificing standard protective clothing in order to display their bodies. Where is the mens’ “sport” that requires this? There were no players in boxers or jock straps or even just jocks last night playing the Rugby League State of Origin……
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So if you don’t like it… don’t watch it. But fighting against it is only fighting against women who love doing it. Can you see why that’s a little counterproductive?
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Actually no, it’s not counterproductive at all. I believe that female athletes should be valued every bit as much as their male counterparts. I believe they should have the same rights to protective sports apparel as men playing the same sport. They should be valued for their athleticism and skill, not whether they look ‘good’ in their underwear, and are then exploited for it.
“So if you don’t like it……….don’t watch it”, is one of the biggest cop out statements I hear. Ignoring something that is unjust does not make it go away. Male athletes make a living out of grid iron – it is their profession and their income. They DONT have to play in their underwear. Perhaps consider it this way – if your boss required you to go to work in your underwear, but allowed your male counterparts to work fully clothed, we would call that sex discrimination and harrassment. This is precisely the same thing.
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“Ignoring something that is unjust does not make it go away…” Yes, but who wants it to go away? As I keep pointing out, the girls who do it are happy, well adjusted and love doing it. They don’t want it to go away. It’s their passion in life. Why are you wanting to take that away from them just because YOU don’t like it? Can you not see the problem with that?
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Actually it appears that at least some of the women who play LFL would like it to go away.
“Tampa Breeze Florida player Liz Gorman told CBC Radio earlier this year what it is like to wear uniforms designed for maximum flesh exposure:
“Oh. Well … well, honestly … I don’t like it. I’d rather wear full clothing. Because when you fall, it literally rips your skin. I’d love more clothing, but at the same time like any sport, the players don’t get to choose the uniform.””
Why can’t these women play their chosen sport, in clothing suitable for their sport?
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Yeah, but ask her if she’d rather be in the LFL or joining a protest to eradicate it from the world and I think you know what the answer would be. These girls aren’t having a gun held to their head in order to be entertainers.
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“These girls aren’t having a gun held to their head in order to be entertainers.” Maybe not a gun, but a contract perhaps?
And I believe they’d like to be considered athletes, not entertainers. Unfortunately the costume makes this difficult.
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Lingerie+Football+League+demeaning+pathetic+spectacle/6189208/story.html This is an article worth reading.
I suspect I’m not going to change your mind, but perhaps consider whether you’d like to see a young 8 year old girl aspiring to play grid iron, dressed as these women must, to play their sport.
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Sorry Sarah, no way are you female! Nice try to the bloke pretending to be you!
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I’m sure my hubby would object, LOL!
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Sarah, you are obviously deliberately adding fuel to the fire. If you had done any research on the LFL then you’d be aware that the sport is for the sexiest ladies. Women who show talent can be overlooked because they do not fill out the suit or they do not sport the ‘right’ look. If women love it so much then they can join the ’7s’.
As a mother of daughters the issue of the representation of women in sport really upsets. When we switch on the television and only see men in the Tour de France or playing cricket, NFL etc what message does that send them? My eldest daughter said this time last year, I’d like to be an elite cyclist, but gee whiz I can’t because I am a girl.
Sarah it does matter. Our daughters should be able to watch both great men and women in a range of sports.
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Sarah, I don’t want to get sidelined by a subjective and superficial debate about looks – whoops, too late! – and not that it should matter for the purposes of the argument, but a lot of attractive and intelligent women (and men) are getting their “knickers in a knot” about this blatant setback in women occupying their rightful, respected place in society. I find the whole concept of LFL deeply UN-attractive. Really, it’s a bad look. Bad. Your comments about older, heavier, less attractive women are ugly too.
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I just don’t understand who people, like yourself, think you’re crusading for here? Certainly not the girls who play it, and love playing it. This isn’t dissimilar to when certain religions try and force laws on everyone, regardless of their religion, except here it’s a group of people crusading against something, when the people doing it are happy, well-adjusted and don’t need crusading done on their behalf.
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Because it isn’t just about them. What they are doing is very public and affects the way all women are perceived. We will have to agree to strongly disagree on this. We think very differently.
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So these women don’t have a right to be what they want to be? That’s like saying women shouldn’t get Amy Winehouse like tattoo’s because it reflects on all women, or something. I just can’t buy that argument at all. I need you to stop and think about what you’re saying. You are saying that just because you’re uncomfortable with this, that women who are comfortable with it cannot engage in it. Really? Seriously? :-/
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They can engage in it. I’d prefer they engaged in it in a more appropriate venue. The flimsy bras, knickers, garter belts and deliberate occasional nipples and nethers exposure makes it adult entertainment, not sport.
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I’m crusading for my 3 daughters, who deserve to be recognized for their abilities and efforts, not the amount of skin they display. This sends a message to every girl in Australia that, unless you take your clothes off, we aren’t interested.
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Respectfully, unless your three daughters are actually in the LFL, or aspiring to be in it, no, you aren’t crusading for them at all. The sport is what it is. Women have the choice to be in it, or not. In a similar way, beach volleyball has extraordinarily revealing uniforms. Again, the choice is there to take part, or not. But what none of the women, happily taking part in LFL, beach volleyball or any other sport with revealing attire needs, is people crusading on their behalf when they didn’t ask for it.
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Very simply, how do you know they ‘love doing it’? What gives you any grounds to believe that the women who enjoy playing the game of grid iron so awesomely prefer playing it in lingerie and garter belts? It’s not like professional respected clothed women’s grid iron runs teams across America, give me one think that makes you think they actual want, or amazingly ‘love’ to play it in their panties.
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Very simple answer to that: some of the players were in town for a promotional tour a month, or so, back. They spoke with genuine passion about playing, even in the face of intrusive questions. I thought, “Own it, sisters!” So, um, yeah… there you go. That’s how I know.
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you do realise anyone who wishes the LFL be shut so the women can not play are sexists.
most women’s sports franchises can not financially support themselves. so they need gimmicks. these women get to play the sport they love. get payed. be on tv. and you want to take that away.
sexist
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One question – Why do they need gimmicks? Are they any less an athlete just because they’re a woman? I want them to be paid as much as their male counterparts, and be on TV equally, but not have to take their clothes off in order to do so.
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Why not take that issue up with society in general? Not with women who enjoy what they’re doing, and enjoy the financial rewards it brings them?
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Firstly, I think most people who object to LFL take issue with the owners, organisers and promoters, more so than with the athletes. That said, by participating in this spectacle, these female athletes are merely a part of a culture that re-produces itself. Sure they enjoy it, they enjoy the sport, and probably the attention (who wouldn’t). But I bet if they had a real choice, they would choose to wear clothes. ‘Choice’ is an illusion and a misnomer when you are faced with alternatives that appear less attractive.
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Great to see you onboard with this Kate!! Let’s get everyone to sign our petition!!
http://www.change.org/petitions/triple-m-stop-the-promotion-and-support-of-a-lingerie-football-league-in-australia we would love your support.
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Women should unite and refuse to have sex with any man who watches this sexist, degrading shit.
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Haha!
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You know there’s a female market for this content too, yes?
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Beach volleyball, anyone?
Or is that different because the Australian women’s teams are good at it ….
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I think its different because I perceive a difference between functional sportswear and lingerie. For example, Would you put your eight year old in a volleyball style swimmer/crop top outfit and be happy to let them run around playing sport like volleyball, surf-lifesaving etc where beachwear attire is appropriate. Now stick same eight year old in LFL lingerie, doesnt seem quite so appropriate. Im using a child to illustrate the difference here but I think that despite the fact that LFL athletes are adults, it is still in-appropriate. LFL lingerie reduces these athletes to the value of their image on the field and the quality of their playing is secondary, if that. I would want more for my daughter but thats just my opinion.
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LFL also adds unnecessary pieces of clothing, suspender belts, bows and garters, that so nothing sporty but just make them more ‘sexy’, and they are also at higher speeds on tougher terrain, making it an injury issue as well. But yes, there are female beach volley-ballers who have complained about the uniform, even though the men’s some is similarly scanty, and there”s at least some equality in that.
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Well said. There’s probably an awful lot of hypocrites replying to this thread, wanting LFL banned, yet have never thought twice about beach volleyball.
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So do the boob jobs get thrown in as a freebie when you get your uniform? I’m a tad worried people are going to start thinking that’s what real boobs look like…
Not commenting on the lack of men running around in their underwear – people below have already said it.
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So where were the photos of the skimperly clad boys cheer squad? Wait, you don’t mean to say…
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ok, 37/M/no kids.
I find the idea that female sports can’t get sponsors is rubbish. Netball is big in this country. I recall hearing stats that it’s the most participated sport in this country.
http://www.lizellis.com.au/sponsors.asp
Look at those sponsors? Not small names – Holden! And Liz doesn’t even play any more.
Advertisers know Aussies can be a pretty loyal bunch. Get in at the kids level, and you can have a consumer for life.
Women do not need to be almost naked to get money. Grow up people. We have women running governments, major corporations and even websites.
They’re here and they cheer.
Women do not need to do this.
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http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-lingerie-football-league-in-australia#
Sign the petition!
Mamamia – maybe you could link to this at the bottom of the article?
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can’t help myself…what happens to all that silicone when it hits the ground…hard….
I first read about this over the weekend. My initial thought (2 paragraphs in) was, well, no one is holding a gun to their heads and they get paid. But then I read on where they had a handful of quotes from a participant. She said she’d prefer to wear proper equipment and not get cut and bruised because of her bare flesh and not risk nipple-gate or some other xxx-gate (my words) – but there were no opportunities for her to play in a “proper” league. This changed my mind. There should be other choices.
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Thank you Kate. I am with you 100%. There are so many things wrong with this…I am too sad and discouraged to talk about it.
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it’s all fun and games until someone’s fake boobs rupture!
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Im a bit confused about the LFL (not to be confused with LBL – awkward) to be honest. While there is obviously a lot of athletic ability required, a great set of tata’s and a decent backside is also mandatory… So a modern day Marla Hooch wouldn’t have a chance! The girls (both the individuals and their boobs) know that they are there primarily for the viewing pleasure of men (and some women) and i don’t think they have any illusions otherwise. To be honest what pisses me off about it is that i worked my ass off (not enough for LBL… Sorry LFL though) to get up to a rep level in Netball and earned a measly 35 dollars throughout my ‘career’, but if you look great (which these girls do) you get paid a whole lot more. It’s just balls that you get paid better for looking better… But that’s life unfortunately (massive first world issue right there).
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Sounds like a load of crap to me. I don’t think that I’ll be attending or tuning in if the games are televised.
It will fall flat if the league is unable to find willing players. Unable to find willing players ? Highly unlikely. I suppose that the minister could introduce a private members bill to have the “sport” declared illegal ?
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We have the same debate in my dance circles, constantly identified with strippers, dancers have fought for that separation in common knowledge. We didnt hate on strippers, infact I have quite a few friends that are strippers so who am I to judge on another? At the end I stopped caring so much. If I got that kind of rap from a person, I would then explain. Education all the way. But at the end of the day if that person cannot make the distinction, then that is their loss they cannot rise their IQ about Neanderthal level. Basically communication with that tard would end right there. Cut my losses.
Luckily the people I connect with are smart enough and above that tripe. So stop hating, and starting looking for your own accepting and fulfilling circles.
And yes, my sister was a champion athlete…. I never heard her complaining about what she wore. Or how people perceived her. She was too busy striving to be the best at what she loved. Shouldn’t we all?
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Oh and back to football bit.. dont even PRETEND that a zillion women out their dont objectify male foolsball players. They do, its grose. I dont get it. But it happens. The reality folks is, a lot of people out there are shallow and grose. Regardless what side your on.
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Yes, women and some men drool over the football players. However the football players aren’t playing in their underwear are they? Huge difference….
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You can appreciate a fine figure, whilst it’s fully clothed, without being ‘shallow and gross’. Anon has it right, at least the men are wearing something more substantial.
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I don’t know, some of those NRL shorts are altogether too short!
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It is an entertainment, similar to the Gladiators TV show. It isn’t sport.
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So many comments derail this as exploitative, but can I ask if you hold the same objection to Beach Volleyball?
In 1999, the women’s uniform regulation was changed. All players had to wear a swimsuit, but men had far more options in that they were allowed to wear boardies and a singlet.
Beach volleyball is an Olympic sport and I don’t hear you making the same complaint.
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the beach volleyball uniforms aren’t just a swinsuit – they are teeny tiny itsy bitsy bikinis – it is outrageous that that they are the offical outfit the competitors must wear. Apparently the rules are being extended to shorts and sleeves for the London Olympics taking into account of cultural sensitivities. This flexibility should have always been available to female competitors to wear what suits their level of comfort. I think the uniform rules have been exploitative.
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I’m sure people do have a big problem with that – I certainly do. But that’s not the sport we’re talking about here. Do you want people to list everything they think is sexist or unfair? If they don’t will you assume they have no problem with it? People are just focusing on the topic at hand.
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OMG they’re wearing fake nipples too!
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Did you see the woman in the background of one if the pics with her fake nipple hanging out the side of her bra? I can’t believe how much effort they’ve gone through to completley sexualise a sport.
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