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We love love love all these little girls fighting for their right to pass the pigskin with the boys. The latest is Caroline Pla, an 11-year-old in Philadelphia. After playing on her local Catholic Youth Origination football team for two years, Pla was kicked off for being a girl when some jerk filed an anonymous complaint. But she’s baaaaackk…. More
Stephen Colbert waxed poetic about this year’s Super Bowl last night, and made light of nearly everything we hate about the event. Mainly: The notoriously unhealthy food–including flame-retardant-laced Gatorade and the outcry over this year’s chicken wing shortage that basically points to everything that’s wrong with factory farming–and the brain damage (just leave it to Colbert to make that funny). More
There’s a bit of a local controversy brewing in Baltimore. Courtney Lenz, a veteran Ravens cheerleader, is not going to the Super Bowl this weekend in New Orleans. Why not? The reasons aren’t totally clear, although Courtney and many of her supporters say it’s due to a two pound weight gain. More
Vegan football players aren’t getting the same press as NFL members heading up the sport’s link to brain damage and depression. And the health concerns that got them to ditch meat and dairy probably aren’t nearly as pressing. But the lifestyle changes they’ve made while staying in the game are strangely inspiring proof that if players can change something that’s such a big part of football “culture” without hurting their ability to play the game or be part of their teams, maybe there’s room for the other kinds of change that we need to see in football, too. More
The Super Bowl is approaching, and, despite a tragic shortage of chicken wings, fans are rallying around the biggest day for the game they love. And while I’m excited, because I’m a football fan to my core, I’m also conflicted–and not just because my team didn’t make it. I’m conflicted because, between hoaxy girlfriends, the never-ending push to play with an injury, the brain damage, and the legacy of sexism, violence, and abuse, there are about a million reasons why football, as a professional sport and as an institution of higher education, should be decried by feminists, parents, concerned citizens, and generally moral human beings. More
Looks like us meat eaters are going to be in panic mode for the next week or so, due to the reported shortage of (GASP!!) chicken wings for February 3rd’s upcoming Super Bowl. How will we ever watch football without those spicy little bits of poultry deliciousness? More
Just weeks before the Super Bowl, new test results have proven that Junior Seau, the star player who committed suicide last spring, suffered CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a form of brain disease increasingly associated with football. The news about Seau’s brian damage came after his family donated his brain to the National Institute of Health to be studied, where it was found that the former star NFL defense player suffered serious brain damage as a result of repeated hits to his head in the game. More
The Gremlin League–a boys’ football league in Salt Lake City–has an impressive new star running back: a nine-year-old girl named Sam Gordon. Many are calling her the new internet sports sensation, partially thanks to a youtube video that outlines her 2012 season highlights (35 scores, 232 carries, 1,911 yards, 8.2 yards per carry, and 65 tackles), and features lots of great footage of the tiny player kicking ass on the field. More
It’s only October 9, and I’m already sick of pinkwashing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s everywhere. Pink bagels, pink medicine caps, pink cupcakes, pink dumpsters, pink boots, even a pink-lit White House. And now the NFL is joining in with pink galore, which is not only annoying to see more pink, but it’s also offensive to people who have dealt with this disease. More
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Erin DiMeglio is Florida’s first female quarterback, and she’s getting a very warm reception as she starts her season with South Plantation High School. Hard-working, hopeful, and humble, DiMeglio is pretty much the ultimate player; teammates, classmates, fans and family are all cheering for her with gusto. Meanwhile, her pretty face, long blonde ponytail (expertly thrown back into a ponytail by a cheerleader at the bleachers) and sweet personality seem made for tv; it’s no surprise that she’s also becoming a media darling–even beyond the sports section. There’s nothing not to love about her story, and yet…the media still seem to be more hung up on her gender than her sportsmanship. More
Penn State students are buying up t-shirts that compare the NCAA to communists, in protest of the sanctions on PSU’s football team following the Jerry Sandusky scandal earlier this year. The t-shirts seem ridiculous, but I think the more interesting question is: Why are we willing to forgive some offenses in the name of fun and sport, but not others? More
Congratulations to Shannon Eastin, a woman who will make history this Thursday as the first woman to ever officiate at an NFL game. She’s set to take the field during the preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers. There’s currently a labor dispute going on with the regular referees in the NFL, so Shannon is acting as a replacement referee, despite rampant criticism based on both her qualifications and her gender. More
Did you ever see the movie Little Giants, where there was a little girl called Icebox and she was the girl on the football team? In middle school, that was me, except I wasn’t exactly the star player, and I played one year of flag football before finally getting to pull on my shoulder pads and play tackle. But thanks to Title IX, which turns 40 today, I got the chance to suck at football (and then, eventually, get better)–and it helped make me the person I am today. More
The NFL has been hit with several lawsuits in recent years by former football players accusing the League of hiding the long-term brain injury risks, including dementia and chronic depression. But yesterday, lawyers for more than 2,300 retired players in 86 suits joined forces to file a single “master complaint” against the League, holding them accountable not only for players who’ve suffered dementia, Alzheimer’s, and depression linked to concussions sustained while playing, but for potential problems in players who are currently healthy. If players are right about their choice to ignore research and risk factors, the NFL could have some serious paying up to do; and should be making changes even before they’re out of court. More
