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This week's article of the week is "Why the Lingerie Football League Coming North is a Bad Idea" by Andrew Bucholtz of Yahoo Sports.

Andrew, who writes about women's sports- particularly women's college sports- makes a lot of great points about why the sport is bad for female athletes, as well as why he thinks the sport will fail in Canada.

Our favourity quote:

Yes, the league plays actual games, but the focus on scanty attire over sporting quality means the games tend to be more about leering than appreciating the athleticism involved. In essence, the league endorses Toronto radio host Bob McCown's ridiculous comments about how men only watch women's sports based on the attractiveness of participants rather than the level of competition, and its product takes those comments to a new level by presenting a sport that's openly not really about sport, but rather about a chance to leer at women in their underwear. The women who play are still quite talented, they have every right to show off their bodies if they want to, and it's good to see women getting the chance to make a living as professional athletes, but I don't think this league is a positive thing for women or Canadian society as a whole. It has potential to make an impact, but that impact isn't necessarily for good.

In my mind, the LFL sends several extremely negative messages to its players, its fans and the public in general. First, the league seems to be telling women that it's looks that matter, not athletic ability. LFL founder and chairman Mitchell S. Mortaza told Cross that "These are women who are athletic but also very beautiful and very marketable," and he didn't deny that the league picks players based on attractiveness. By sending this message, Mortaza and his league are clearly indicating that they care more about how their players look than how they play, and that's an idea that could negatively influence women's sports at all levels. Second, the league's selection of only the women they find attractive could lead to body-image issues for girls; I'd hope that most kids are smart enough to realize that they don't need to look like supermodels to find success, but this league is clearly telling people that beauty (and a willingness to flaunt it in public) is the path to the top. Third, the league's informing its fans that women's sports are only to be enjoyed for the attractiveness of the athletes involved, and fourth, it's telling the larger population that women's sports are only valuable if the women involved are portrayed as sexual objects. That's a philosophy that could have significant damaging repercussions for women's athletics at all levels.

Thank you Andrew Bulcholtz for getting it.

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