Like it or not, the Lingerie Football League is rapidly gaining popularity across the globe. Having started out as a 10-team league from the United States, the LFL has since expanded into Canada and a trial match is taking place in Australia this June. By 2013, the LFL should have permanent teams in Australia. That has infuriated Australian sports minister Kate Lundy, who like many others believes the league is degrading to women.
In a recent article she wrote for the Australian blog Mamamia.com, Lundy blasted the Lingerie League and encouraged the people of Australia to not support it.
“The LFL is about giving viewers an opportunity to perv on women in gear that looks like it’s come from an adult shop,” Lundy wrote. “It’s called the Lingerie Football League because it’s almost exclusively about the underwear.
“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.”
Lundy said she is particularly concerned about young women and girls who will watch the LFL and think the only way they can advance in the sporting world is to show their skin. As we know, this is even a concern for current members of the LFL who would like to see the skimpy outfits tossed out and the emphasis redirected on the sport itself. Lundy said she does, however, respect the women of the LFL for the athletes that they are.
“Don’t get me wrong, there is little doubt that the women involved in the LFL are athletes,” she wrote. “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.”
The bottom line, as we know, is that money talks. If the Lingerie League continues to gain popularity throughout the world, there is nothing the Australian Minister of Sport or anyone else can do about it aside from continuing to bash it.
