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Lesbian assist. (Sports).


Lesbians may love women's sports, but the affection hasn't always been mutual. So when Chicago's brand-new professional tackle football team, the Chicago Force Chicago Force may refer to:
  • Chicago Force (Star Wars), a Star Wars fan club.
  • Chicago Force (football), an Independent Women's Football League team.
, announced that it had signed up a lesbian bar as its main sponsor, it wasn't just a convenient partnership--it was history.

The unprecedented relationship between the Force, one of 27 teams in the Independent Women's Football League The Independent Women's Football League was founded in 2000, and began play in 2001. IWFL founders began with the goal to establish a quality women's football league that would be respected as the top level of women's tackle football in the world. , and Temptations, a nightclub in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park Franklin Park, village (1990 pop. 18,485), Cook co., NE Ill., a suburb of Chicago; inc. 1892. It is chiefly residential. , Ill., was initiated by Temptations marketing director Diane Mareci.

"One of the girls who comes in to Temptations is a football player," Mareci said. "She told me about it, and I thought it was a phenomenal idea."

Mareci anticipated some standoffishness stand·off·ish  
adj.
Aloof or reserved.



stand·offish·ness n.

Noun 1.
 from the Force's management, but she was pleasantly surprised. Lisa Cole, who founded the team, said diversity is one of her main priorities.

"It seemed like every women's football Women's football can mean one of the following:
  • Women's Australian rules football
  • Women's American football
  • Women's football (soccer)
  • Women's rugby league
  • Ladies' Gaelic football
 team did their best to alienate themselves from [lesbian fans] because they were afraid," Cole said. "I wasn't going to repeat that."

Clearly, fear isn't in the Force's vocabulary. On March 29, the team's first time out, the Force crushed the Detroit Blaze 49-0.
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Article Details
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Title Annotation:Lesbian bar sponsors women's football team, Franklin Park, Illinois
Author:Lehoczky, Etelka
Publication:The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1U3IL
Date:May 13, 2003
Words:185
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