They may punt and tackle and even get some touchdowns, but in Toronto the Lingerie Football League (LFL) is still seen as somewhat of a joke.
The LFL was started in 2009 and it’s a football league just like any other. With the exception of course, that the players are women and they’re all wearing nothing but their skivvies. Other than that, it’s seven players on every team and yes, full contact is not only allowed but encouraged. Nearly all of the women playing have played college-level sports and consider themselves to be true athletes. But, not everyone agrees. Two teams in the United States folded last year, and although one was proposed in Oklahoma the mayor of the city turned down the proposal stating “too many problems to list.” And it seems the OK mayor isn’t the only one that thinks it’s a bad idea.
The league currently has two games scheduled to be played in Ricoh Coliseum, despite the fact that they don’t yet have a team since tryouts aren’t being held until the end of April in Toronto, and the team doesn’t even have a name. These might just be two reasons to wonder how those games at Ricoh Coliseum will work out. It also seems that the team is having a hard time finding an owner that will take them seriously.
The league commissioner, Mitchell Mortaza, has stated that he is already in talks with two potential owners in Toronto, one being affiliated with professional sports and one being a prominent real estate group in the city, although he declined to give actual names of the two groups. And, no one else seems to want to take responsibility for possible future ownership either. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the group that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Raptors, and the Ricoh Coliseum, stated that they have no affiliation with the group, although they do rent the Coliseum out for various events. And both the owners of the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have also said they have nothing to do with the LFL. Rogers Communication, which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays, also stated that they are not affiliated with the LFL in any way.
So just who is going to be the new owner of the Toronto franchise of the LFL?
It’s not known at the moment. And, whether or not the LFL will ever really get off the ground in Canada is questionable. Without any owners and the sport receiving much criticism and scepticism before it’s even begun, it’s hard to say whether or not Torontonians will ever be able to see women play football in their panties. But, the LFL remains hopeful. By 2012, the LFL hopes to have a six-team division in Canada, with teams dispersed throughout the country.
