Getting a look at Ricky Williams in a wedding dress must have really made an impression on Mike Ditka. That dreadlocked bride made the former Bears and Saints coach realize that football's future lay in the mingling of gridiron action and women's clothing. Why else would would he be taking an equity stake in the Lingerie Football League?
The nascent organization takes its first steps on Friday night with a game between the Miami Caliente and the Chicago Bliss, which you can watch on pay-per-view. They've got a press conference planned with Ditka before the game gets underway, but already sent out a press release announcing the partnership.
"Coach Ditka embodies the game of football and will be an invaluable asset to the LFL as we mature into a worldwide sports brand," said Mitchell S. Mortaza, Founder & Chairman. Mike Ditka added, "Football has always been a large part of my life and passion, this an opportunity to be part of something truly special in its inception phase."
Passion would seem to be the key word for Ditka, and one wonders how much sampling the old coach did of Levitra while shooting those commercials for the erection enhancer. We wish this new partnership well, whatever brought it about, and hope that Ditka doesn't become a model for the uniforms.
Not everyone is so thrilled with the LFL's existence. The league's drawn the ire of some because of the qualification that women are only fit to play football if they're fit enough to look good in lingerie. That's a fair complaint as far as it goes, but, no matter how much the organizers try to say otherwise, this seems to have about as much in common with football as mud wrestling has to do with what goes on in the Olympics.
The people choosing to watch the games aren't going to be watching to see how the Caliente implement the Cover-2 or how the Bliss deal with a stunt to the weakside, they're there to watch women running around in lingerie. Just like Ditka.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
