by Kandice Day

Created on: January 02, 2009

She fades back, sees a receiver in the end zone, rolls to her right and fires! What a rocket! Fans jump to their feet, screaming with all they have left, hoping for a miracle. The ball reaches it's target, hits the chest, and bounces across the grass. She falls to her knees, hands embracing her heavy head. It's over; they've lost the infamous Junior-Senior game. It was within her grasp, on the tips of her fingers. She could taste victory, imagined walking down the halls as a champion, looking to the older seniors for respect. But it is not too be. This single opportunity to achieve her dream on a football field has past.

After the game, the boy's varsity coach walks up to her, shakes her hand, and tells her that if she were a boy, she'd be first string quarterback. But she's smaller than most of the girls, let alone the boys, and would never have a chance.

This is exactly why there should be a football league for the ladies. In fact, if you were to do a little research, you'd find that there are a few women's leagues already out there, some of whom get TV time. They're moms, sisters, wives and daughters who work full-time to pay the bills, and then strap on a helmet and pads for practice during the week and games on weekends. There is no pay involved, simply passion for the game; something the pros have forgotten about.

In my opinion, this is the difference between men's sports and women's. Every game is the Super Bowl. Every time they take the field, they realize how lucky they are. The International Women's Football Association, and others, hasn't been around forever, and simply having the opportunity to do something they love is enough for these women.

However, a professional women's football league would probably fail. It offers up the time old question; why aren't women sports as popular as men's? If the women are on a beach, wearing tiny bathing suits, sweating in the sand, well now, that's a different story. However, in order to have a successful new league for women, whether it's football, or professional soccer, or professional bowling, you have got to be able to market your product. Most women will not sit on the couch with a six-pack and watch the game. That's just not how we are wired. There are some exceptions to that rule, like myself, who would love to see more women's sports.

Sports and women are an interesting dynamic. Criticism, discrimination, and false assumptions plague those who play the "masculine" sports, such as football. Rather than playing for the love of the game, women's passion on the field, or court, is construed to represent something else. The perceived feminine ideal of keeping the kitchen in order and remaining nurturing at all times tends to keep women from either playing or watching sports. The idea of a female tackling another, or crushing an opponent, challenges the long held belief that women are maternal, not competitive.

Besides the marketing challenges, as well as the inherent fear of discrimination that female athletes face, creating a professional women's league would be difficult.

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