If you need another reason not to watch the 2028 Olympics, how about the inclusion for the first time in history of football as a sport? Sort of.
No, not like "real" football. This is a creepy alternative called "flag football" where women wear a flag on their booty, and they're not "down" until you rip the flag off. Or play graba**, whichever comes first.
In truth, the women are entertaining. The girls got some skills.
The female form in motion is undeniably beautiful. But what about if that female form is covered with pads, and a helmet obscures the beauty?
No, the skill level leaves a lot to be desired. A boys Pee Wee team could probably give these women a run for their money. And I doubt that many people would pay out good money to see a game.
The question for me is why? The desire to compete is just as strong in women as in men, and I can see where women's competitive juices would be flowing.
But what's the attraction for fans? The novelty of seeing women hit each other? Right now, there's a "pay-to-play" structure where players have to pay for their own uniforms, pads, travel, and expenses. However, the league, known as the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC), is actively transitioning toward a professional compensation model.
Instead of monthly or yearly salaries, the WNFC uses a performance-based award system funded by its media rights and sponsorship deals. Players can earn monetary awards for being named "Impact Player of the Game" or for post-season accolades. A streaming rights deal through 2026 (worth roughly $1.5 million) is specifically designed to help provide these cash awards to players for the first time in the league's history.
The Kansas City Glory, a pro women's tackle football team, is getting ready to kick off its seventh season with a home opener against the Seattle Majestics.
Why it matters: Women's football is growing, and KC is leading the charge with a dedicated fan base and some star athletes.
Zoom in: The Glory is one of 16 teams in the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC). Three of six games are scheduled for their home turf at Robert L. Hicks Field at Pembroke Hill School.
Glory fans showed up big last year, contributing to one of three sold-out crowds in the WNFC, league founder Odessa Jenkins tells Axios.
"Katie Sowers, a Kansas native who coached with the Chiefs and made history as the first woman and openly gay coach at the Super Bowl, was the KC Titans' quarterback and general manager," reports Axios. She's now coaching a flag football team in Kansas.
Flag football at the high school level has exploded.
At the high school level, 17 states' athletic associations have sanctioned girls varsity flag championships, and Kansas and Missouri are among others with pilot programs in play.
Independent collegiate leagues, including the NAIA and NJCAA, already have flag football.
In February, an NCAA committee recommended that Divisions I, II and III add flag football as an emerging women's sport.
Access to tackle football remains scarce for women, and many athletes who wind up in pro leagues come from sports such as basketball and track.
"There are more girls getting footballs put in their hands than any time, any other time in the world because of flag football," WNFC league founder Odessa Jenkins says. But "most of the women that are playing tackle football right now are playing with the boys."
Is this a fad? Girls today want their athletic dreams to end up in a professional league, getting paid to play. That's the reality. It may not have been true 40 years ago. But it's true today.
I look for flag football to start dying out in a few years unless a suprising development occurs where people's athletic preferences change dramatically.
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