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Action, Impact, and Beauty : The Lingerie
Football League and the Pornography of Sport
Andrew J. Young
The Lingerie Football League has become the Ultimate Fan-Driven Live
Sports Phenomenon—Blending Action, Impact and Beauty.
—Lingerie Football League Mission Statement1
The Lingerie Football League (LFL) is one of the most controversial sports
leagues in the United States. The LFL debuted in a single-game format in
2004 as an alternative to the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl
halftime show and began full-season play in 2009. The league grew quickly
between 2009 and 2012, with the 2011–2012 season featuring 12 teams
from across the United States and one Canadian team. In 2012, the LFL
announced it was delaying its upcoming season to focus on international
expansion and to shift the U.S. season to the spring and summer months
(initially, the league’s championship game was played the same day as the
NFL’s Super Bowl in early February). In lieu of the U.S. 2012 season, the
league scheduled three international All-Star games. The first, in Mexico
City on Cinco de Mayo, hosted a live crowd of approximately 20,000 people,
with many more tuning in to the pay-per-view broadcast online.2 The LFL’s
growth has leveled off since 2012. Now called the Legends Football League
after a 2013 rebranding, the LFL is still widely known by its former moniker.
The 2016 season featured eight teams in the U.S. league as well as four- and
five-team leagues in Canada and Australia, respectively.
Teams currently play a four-game season with additional conference and
league championship games. While the games are quite different from tra-
ditional gridiron football, the field and game rules are similar to the (men’s)
Arena Football League (AFL). LFL women play full-contact football, though
there is a significant difference in the uniforms when compared to men’s pro-
fessional leagues. Initially, the uniforms consisted of a bra and panties, a garter,
