Comments on Tits In the Times

I see no reason why the female athletes of the Lingerie Football League shouldn't be afforded the same respect given their male counterparts in the Men's Lingerie Football League.

Friday at Green Lake? What? The Swam is not impressed. Is this the D league for the Victoria Secret Super Bowl matchup? I'd love to see somebody hit Heidi Klum top of the helmet to tip of the chin for a five yard loss.

"Elderly?" The dude on the left is like 25, and the guy on the right isn't a day over 50, if that.

And what's wrong with being a construction worker? Seriously, talk about being an elitist, Erica.

"I'm willing to show some skin in the name of football," said Alicia McLaughlin, 23, of Tacoma. "I feel like it's my true calling. And there's going to be haters, people scoffing at it, but there's a big enough demographic that it shouldn't have any problems creating a fan base."

Yep, as long as there are women choosing to put themselves out there to be objectified like this, there will be men out there to ogle them. Don't hate on the lecherous elderly construction workers, just because they're old doesn't mean they're not allowed to get horny if they see a bunch of scantily-clad women wrestling over a football.

Oh, yeah.

ECB's just upset because she didn't make the team.

As a diehard female-objectifier and connoisseur of beautiful women, actually ALL women, and their lingerie, I have to say my interest level in this activity is nil, or lower.

@7 That's because you hate American football. We already knew that.

Erica - still waiting for you to denounce Hump!. Anytime now. If not, please explain how this is worse. Hell, while you're at it, explain why this is worse than the Rat City Rollergirls.

I just have to say, those construction workers don't look all that titillated to me. They look downright bored...

I'll betcha dollars to donuts that ECB is fat - in a Andrea Dworkin way.

Unless these women are playing football in their panties at gunpoint, there is nothing wrong with this.

Only the fugly give a shit about this.

Female lingerie football players deserve way more respect! Do not watch them while they play! Stop it!

@11, she's actually quite hot.

So, just because they're watching, they're lecherous? Or is it because they're construction workers?

Is it only females that can watch them play without being titillated?

Am I lecherous for looking at the picture? What about the creepy person taking photos?

wow, no way - that really was the Times' own photo for the story! i was just going to ask where you came up with it..

(and as for you jackasses trying to pretend the guy on the right doesn't look elderly or titillated.....)

Hey, leave Willie Nelson alone! So what if he likes chicks? It's what separates him from everyone at the Stranger. Well, except for Science.

Their bodies, their choice.

the seattle times article is worth mentioning because it's dumb. it's even more worth mentioning because the last time the rat city rollergirls, a legitimate sport team, were mentioned in the seattle times (besides stories about starbucks suing them) was in may 2008. the last time they had a whole article to themselves was in february 2006.

Will they have cheerleaders? And if so, what will they be like? Full-on porno?

lecherous ? Dude on the left looks potentially hot.

Also, 11 FTW! (not for the "ECB is fat/fugly" line, but for the "unless...gunpoint" one)

Finally, The Lou is getting a women's football team. Except it is real football (aka "soccer"), and they will not be playinging in their skivies. You can't have your cake & Edith too.

(Incidentally, I oogle male footballers too, so I'm an equal opportunity oogeler)

"Because of that, you’re going to see girls that are beautiful, but athletic, and take it seriously.”

It's a ridiculous story all around -- pretty hard to imagine players who have to be "thrown into Football 101" taking the sport terribly seriously -- but reading this, even I thought, "Oh, burn to the cheerleaders."

@11: Ooh, snap! You sure got me with THAT one! Except you forgot "hairy," "bra-burning" and "gay."

Whether they're being objectified with Hooters-caliber exploitation or not, tits continue to be a universally sunny streak in an otherwise gloomier than normal news day.

Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women.

@18 - Since ECB won't respond to my comment, perhaps you can enlighten us: how is Rat City Rollergirls a more "legitimate" club than this?

I wouldn't know, dude, I work in publishing.

@25
They're both legitimate clubs, but the intent is vastly different.
RCRG, and all other derby leagues, play to have fun and enjoy a sport they love. They aren't forced to look a certain way to play.
This football league demeans women who are above a certain size, who may love to play football, but don't look like a model so are kept from the game. It's insulting to compare the two.
If men want to get off by watching models throw around a football, call it what it is- porn. Don't call it a sport when you keep good players out of it for looks.

Erica, remember that we women make a lot more money in porn and in modeling (from catalog to runway) than men do. I like taking advantage of the stupidity of men. I don't understand why you're against it. It's fun.

@25: I'll take a crack at that.

Rat City Rollergirls was founded by three women. The players are various shapes and ages, but they all hit hard and play hard.

The Seattle Mist looks like it's being run by an amateur porn impresario, and the girls look mostly like strippers and bikini baristas (not that there's anything wrong with that). They don't play football any better than my cousins and in-laws on Thanksgiving day, but they do have much nicer tits.

Also, it's not just the Times; Q13 devoted an inordinate amount of time to this crap last night. And I have low standards for them.

@27 - Thanks for the response. But you can't tell me that the women of RCRG don't adhere to a certain look (punk, goth, etc). It's just not the same look as the lingerie football players. But it's still a look--and one that I like much better than the lingerie football look, putting me and most of the other spectators at those events on the same level as the construction workers in the picture. The RCRG's look, attitude, etc. is the draw, not the roller derby itself. Exactly the same as this football league.

@27 It's their choice to be "above a certain size" just as the skinny hag down the street who chokes and smokes made that decision for herself, too. Boo hoo, life's not fair.

Nice bit of classism there ECB. Everyone knows the old construction workers are just oh so icky!

@25, the rollergirls have been around for years and are an actual sport played by actual enthusiasts. this is tryouts for models who need "football 101" to learn football terms and they have to wear lingerie while they play. "powder puff" football and cheerleading are fine and actually competitive, but this is about as much of a sport as jell-o wrestling or "puppy bowl" during the super bowl on animal planet.

@30. The point is that nobody is going to be kept out of roller derby because they aren't "hot" enough. It's about how good you are at the sport.

Note that I recognize that what I just said may not be quite so black and white in real life, but without a doubt RCRG is more like the WNBA in that ability trumps looks than it is like a "let's hire hot girls and teach them how to play" lingerie football league.

Feminism \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\
Function: noun

1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
3: a team for ugly chics

Yep, those construction workers MUST be lecherous. Isn't it wonderful how sexism is a 2 way street? Wait...

ECB thinks they are elitists--like Metro drivers, b/c they make more then $12/hr.

While distinguishing sex-positive feminism from fratty douchebaggery isn't always easy, a jury of sports fans could certainly be helpful in locating douchebaggery.

@37 The real elitists are those football chicks. Erica is just jealous that her pathetic job at the stranger doesn't pay half of what those girls make.

Did anyone see the salary they are being paid? If I remember reading correctly, they will make in excess of $80,000

Too bad your looks will prevent you from making the league ECB. Try not to be such a classist hater and support your fellow women succeeding in a man's world.

It is clearly obvious you are jealous on many levels

or so it seems to me

Funny, these women are wearing about 80% more clothing than the Olympic beach volleyball teams did, yet I don't remember complaints about Seattle Times coverage of that. . .

That's ME on the left - I hope when you say elderly you mean Ralph.

Somebody like Erica would never have the guts to try out for a team like this so all she can do is knock it and pretend she's above it.

Why doesn't Erica do some investigative, undercover journalism and try out for the team? Instead and ripping the poor saps watching practice on their breaks, she could get an better understanding and gain some respect for the women who she's trying out with.

What exactly is wrong with being an elderly construction worker titillated by younger women? Low blow, ECB.

@39 $80000 isn't shit compared to what a real football player makes either, you can make as much as that with an engineering degree.

And no, lingerie football's not a man's world, wtf? I don't know any guys who would do that, because men concentrate on the game instead of their looks. Sad but true, females have to play seriously if anyone is going to take women's sports seriously. If they insist on making SPORTS leagues dedicated to how cute they are, then that's how they will be treated.

NOBODY BUT NOBODY INSULTS PUPPY BOWL!

Also, I don't see the point of this other than a craptastic amalgamation of the basest of men's interests. It's more insulting to a lot of men to try and peddle this crap than it is to the women playing the game.

@41 Really? But doesn't ECB know you? Am I being the definition of gullible here, or is that really you?

p.s. Whomever the fellow on the left is he certainly isn't elderly and he's kinda hot.

p.p.s. Lingerie football sounds dumb, and painful frankly.

It combines things I love (boobs, lingerie and football) but it doesn't sound like any fun to watch, at all. Maybe because the girls don't actually know anything about football beforehand? Maybe because I really just like my own boobs, and putting the lingerie on myself.

This really is offensive, who cares what crowd they drew? The poor guys have their picture stuck in the paper and they were probably just walking by on their lunch break and stopped to take a look. Who would not stop and look?

But I do like a busty lady, as far as ladies go.

I've offered to teach you Madden 09 Mikki. We can both wear our undergarments and play.

How is that different than when you play Madden 09 alone?

Will the Times be running a series of features on all manner of Seattle prostitutes? Strippers, bikini baristas, hooters waitresses, escorts, etc.?

One can only hope. More hot chick flesh, less real people doing interesting, useful things PLEASE!

Douchebags.

I find Mikki's comments far more interesting than this lame, fake-ass sport.

What I'd like to know is, what happened to ladies dancing with feathers? I know burlesque is the thing these days, but what happened to old fashioned giant feather dancing? I would much rather watch that than scantily-clad lady football (or burlesque). Plus, I don't want to see scantily-clad lady football injuries.

I'm with Mikki. Well about the scantily-clad lady football injuries. I don't have an opinion one way or another about giant feather dancing.

Pop Tart, giant feather dancing is cooler than it sounds. I don't want to piss anybody off here, but the best part of Breakfast at Tiffany's is the feather dancing scene where Holly is drunk and basically saying she could do it better. Also, seriously, Banacek? Wtf. Double also, I love Audrey Hepburn even though she isn't busty.

Ah, here comes the obligatory "but hey, I'm a rollergirl" post.

I'm a member of Rat City Rollergirls since 2004. I did not try out because of my looks. Heck, I wasn't even good at the sport. I joined because it sounded fun. Over the years it's become so much of a sport my not-so-great skills are barely cutting it anymore. So, we can debate for 500 posts about modern roller derby: is a sport or not? But until you've been to a game or attend the WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) Nationals held in Portland, Oregon in about a month, I'm not going to listen to you. Nor will the 30,000 women who are currently playing derby. I believe I play a sport. Sometimes I do it wearing fake eye lashes and fishnets.

Okay, about the skaters only having "one look" thing. Shall I describe myself or let someone here post a stereotype of what they think I look like? If you guys post it it's more fun. I'm not particularly punk, goth, or anything else. Am I ugly or pretty? Like I said, I'm sure someone here can find out and make judgments pretty quick.

Frankly, I don't care that the Times ran this story. I do care that they refuse to run Rat City scores. By their definition, they can't run a sports story about us because we use false names. And they will say this after they publish a story about us using our real names along with our false names. It's an odd double standard. So, you know, calling someone "the Babe" or "the Fridge" I guess that puts a lot of sports in the false category. Also, some baseball players were excessively tight pants. I think sexy sexy tight buns like that?

Someone else also mentioned ownership. To clarify, Rat City is owned and operated by the women who skate. We don't make any money for ourselves. In fact we must pay money to play. I suppose you would say we do it for the love of the sport (maybe it's the fake eyelashes too). Whoops. I'm not supposed to like wearing those, right?

typo in 57:
also, some baseball players were excessively tight pants. How dare they flaunt their sexy sexy tight buns like that?

I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but I'm pretty sure the two guys in the background ARE the cheerleaders...

I support this.

I have no rationale, it just seems like a good thing to me.

Okay, you got me ECB. Sorry for the generalization.

But one question: How arev you affected when women choose to be objectified like this of their own free will?

I think these women like being objectified, otherwise they wouldn't do this.

Did someone say that these women are earning $80,000? I can't believe I missed tryouts! How fortunate for this league to be under the complete control of a male dominated marketing machine. That's a lot of ticket and merchandise sales Seattle; you had better start saving your hard earned discretionary income now. This sounds more like roller derby of the 1970’s, if you are into that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, I will just keeping playing the fastest growing sport in America ... well, actually, maybe the world. And don't worry about my feelings of objectification, the joke is on you.

Did someone say that these women are earning $80,000? I can't believe I missed tryouts! How fortunate for this league to be under the complete control of a male dominated marketing machine. That's a lot of ticket and merchandise sales Seattle; you had better start saving your hard earned discretionary income now. This sounds more like roller derby of the 1970’s, if you are into that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, I will just keeping playing the fastest growing sport in America ... And don't worry about my feelings about objectification, the joke is on you.

@3 for the win, @13 for second place.

No, it's not Grant.

And Puppy Bowl RULES!

oh let people have their fun.

In German, mist means poop.

The only difference with RCRG is self-ownership. But that's a BIG difference.

jojo: you are good looking and are participating in a sport that you admit you were not very good at when you first auditioned. there are certainly some similarities that shouldn't be discounted. some of these women may really like football, may be attractive, and might consider this an opportunity. i'm guessing you wanted us to see the many pics of you online when you posted this. to me, the rollerderby still "feels" more like a sport than this lingerie football, though.

(and being denied a job because they are not pretty enough? that's another can of worms altogether that is far from limited to lingerie football.)

certainly ownership has much to do with it. it answers the question of whether or not the participants are being exploited or are exploiting themselves, so to speak. but let us not forget a woman can exploit other women, and so, too, can a man watch roller derby or lingerie football (or help with the workings) without exploiting women. the generalizations here are pretty obvious.

the pay -- if truly $80K -- is an interesting consideration. if it really is sexist, if it really is exploiting women, to take that money would seem wrong. it is nice, however, to see that it is getting more expensive to exploit women. at some point, the price at which a person is willing to sell their moral conviction because so high as to prohibit anyone from being tempted to break their conviction.

I'm willing to show some skin in the name of football," said Alicia McLaughlin, 23, of Tacoma.




This is Alicia McLauchlin, I am one of the 12 who ended up making the team. I knew there would no doubt be controversey and aggresively opinionated bloggers speaking out. But at the end of the day, its just football. And yes, to draw a crowd we happen to be attractive women playing in bras and panties. If it were the construction workers, and they were offered the above said amount of 80,000$ to play in underwear it would instead be hilarious. But because we are attractive young women its some say its innappropriate. There will always be double standards in our society, this I understand, but hey feminists! what about cheerleading? Not to knock the "sport" but at least we are playing our own game. A game that I happened to grow up playing, and now thanks to the new league I can play and get paid to do so.




I've been playing football and inadvertently offending people all my life. ;) just a lot more of both lately.




Kindest Regards


Alicia

AND! when are women not being exploited? open any magazine, or turn on the tv. sex sells, and the stock you have is only going to depreciate as time goes on. im just being an opportunist.