Annons
Annons
If you're unfamiliar with LFL, here's the basics. It's a seven-on-seven tackle sport that tours arenas and stadiums. It started out as half-time entertainment and was later made a sport in its own right in 2009. Now, it has nearly half a million fans on Facebook alone. Said fans seem fairly evenly split between earnest female and male supporters but there's that "u pervert LOL" contingent who like to comment on the women's appearance and the occasional "who's the hottest LFL player?" article. But then you have to consider the massive Playboy shoots and the fact that it was founded by Mitch Mortaza, who is, among other things, a man.There's an underbelly to the LFL that goes beyond gender politics-y stuff like, "Is it morally OK for women to have to prove their worth in bikinis?" Beneath the fierce glamour of it all, these women play an incredibly dangerous sport with, apparently, no insurance or healthcare. Numerous players have launched lawsuits against the company – and player Marirose Roach claims she broke her neck during a game. Oh, and here's the real sweetener: the players don't get paid.Barrera, who lives in Corpus Christi, TX and is the first female sports anchor in south Texas on KZ Action 10 News, compares LFL to "being in a bad relationship"."You love your significant other even though you know you deserve to be treated better," she says. "You think: 'Oh, I'll stay and things just have to get better', but eventually you just have to say: 'No this isn't right'. I would die for football but I'm not gonna play for a bad person who mistreats people. Mitch fired a lot of the real athletes because they were talking about forming a union. Ever since then it's not what it could be."
Annons
Annons