Lingerie Football League coming to Minneapolis

LFL

Girls in garters are headed for the Target Center.

​Last night, it was announced that a controversial sports league has inked a deal with Target Center and Minneapolis is the lucky 11th burg to win a franchise.

That's right, the Lingerie Football League is here.

"We truly understand the sheer amount of people that are sport fanatics in the greater Twin Cities area," says league founder Mitchell Mortaza. "We would be foolish not to place a franchise there."

The league got its start in 2009. Teams play 7-on-7 full contact football, and players wear, yes, naught but garters and lingerie under their shoulder pads. The women also wear clear-front helmets so fans can see their pretty, pretty faces.

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​Shockingly, Mortaza's brainchild has generated plenty of controversy. In addition to fielding the obvious charge that the sport degrades women (leaked player contracts include an "accidental nudity" clause) some players have complained that their medical costs aren't covered. And last November, the mayor of Oklahoma City put the kibosh on a new franchise by banning lingerie football in any city-owned venue. Mortaza says he's not particularly worried about a Twin Cities backlash.

"We know how progessive it is up here," says Mortaza of any potential opposition. "Will we get a small contingency? Absolutely."

As we speak, league officials are hammering out a schedule for tryouts, which will be held somewhere in Minneapolis and are open to the public. In mid-April, 35 lucky lasses will be invited to training camp and the roster will be cut to 14 active players and 6 alternates. They're also on the hunt for ex-NFL coaches and prospective owners.

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​Cleveland, Las Vegas, and--of course--Green Bay are getting new teams this fall, too.

The forthcoming team is unnamed and the LFL is asking for suggestions. The name that is submitted the most times will win, and whoever suggested it first gets lifetime season tickets.

If the name game is any indication, says Mortaza, lingerie football has the blizzard people enthused. Since news broke about the new team last night, 7,400 name submissions have already poured in, more than in any other franchise naming contest. Green Bay only has 2,000 so far.

Front runners include the Minnesota Maidens, the Minnesota Vixens, and the Minnesota Valkyries.

"I just actually Googled it," says Mortaza. "'A host female figure who decided who will die in battle.' It was the first I'd heard of it."

We're curious how the Minnesota Vixens, the country's longest running women's football team, feels about all this . . .