These gorgeous women play real hard like men

MANILA, Philippines - Think gorgeous women have no place in the gridiron? Get convinced otherwise by the Legends Football League (LFL), the fast-growing women’s 7-on-7 full-contact American football league where athletic, curvaceous ladies unleash their aggressive side and tackle real hard. 

Though dubbed as “the sexiest sport in the world,” LFL’s main selling point, players insist, is the highly-intense game, not the sexuality.

“This is our opportunity as women to be in a controlled fight, to be in an environment where it’s okay to be aggressive. So when you turn on LFL, you can see women playing a man’s game; you can see hard hits, you can see women athletes and football players,” said Natalie Jahnke of three-time  champion L.A. Temptation.

Liza Gorman of Jacksonville Breeze added that more than girls in sexy getup going at one another, an LFL game showcases the players’ knowledge of the game.

“One time, our coach brought 36 NFL players to our game and every single player did not speak about what we looked like. All they spoke about were football terminologies, how we ran the ball, how we dropped down to our zone, how we made hits. It’s satisfying to be recognized and respected by these people. This is their profession and they’re saying these girls know what they’re doing,” Gorman said.

Looking more like models in their dark blue tracksuits, Jahnke, three-time defensive player of the year Gorman and Angela Rypien of Baltimore Charm gamely fielded reporters’ questions yesterday when they visited Manila to celebrate the premier of LFL games on KIX Channel. 

Rypien carries a familiar name for fans, being the daughter of NFL great Mark Rypien, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI with the Washington Redskins.

“I just love the sport, I always have the passion for it and I want to pursue it,” said Rypien. “(LFL) gives me the opportunity to chase my dream, do what my dad did and there’s a connection there. The expectations are high but I’ve been playing only for two years, I’m still young and learning. Those are pretty big shoes to fill.”

LFL games premiered on KIX, the ultimate destination for action entertainment in Asia, last Sunday and will air every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. KIX is on Channel 63 on Skycable, Channel 10 on Globe Destiny Cable and Channel 220 on Cable Link.

“We are excited to bring America’s fastest-growing pro sports league to Asia. The LFL is not about models attempting to play football. The LFL presents tough, sexy and talented female athletes playing full-contact American football. At KIX, we promise our viewers the hottest action from around the world and action does not get any hotter than this,” said Betty Tsui, VP-Programming of KIX and Thrill, Celestial Tiger Entertainment.

Jahnke’s Temptation are gunning for a “four-peat” in the LFL, which used to go by the name Lingerie Football League.

“We’re women athletes who want to win. We’re there not because it’s lights, camera, action, but we want to play football and win,” said Jahnke, representing everything that drives every player in the league.