Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Women Thriving in Traditionally All-Male American Football

   Tala Hadavi | Baltimore, Maryland  June 08, 2011
   The Baltimore Nighthawks line up against the Philadelphia Firebirds

Photo: VOA Photo T. Hadavi

   The Baltimore Nighthawks line up against the Philadelphia Firebirds

   American Football has supplanted baseball in recent years as America's
   favorite sport. But though men and women both enjoy it, it has
   traditionally been played almost entirely by men. The past few years,
   however, have seen the debut of a number of women's leagues - playing
   by the same rules and with the same level of contact as the men's
   sport.
   When you think about American football, you envision it being played by
   heavily-padded big men making violent contact with each other. But
   Tarsha Fain, team captain of the [1]Baltimore Nighthawks says, think
   again.
   "I feel women can do anything a man can do," said Fain. "The same way
   they get out there and hit, we get out there and hit too."

   IFRAME: [2]http://www.youtube.com/embed/yWHXqBhxkRM?rel=0

   Fain and team owner Tanya Bryan were part of the first ever women's
   World Championship tournament played last year. The U.S. team, with
   Fain playing and Bryan serving as team manager, won the gold medal.
   "To be the first, the first time it was done, and be a part of it, no
   one else can ever say that," said Bryan. "So it's just a wonderful
   feeling and I'm so proud of that."
   And the sport is growing. Perhaps a dozen women's professional leagues
   have been formed in the U.S. in recent years, though many of those have
   either merged or gone out of business.
   Ghoncheh Mossanen is an offensive specialist. For Mossanen, who has
   played football for 28 years, the sport is her therapy. It is what she
   looks forward to the most.
   "I feel the transformation when I go from putting on my gear and
   stepping on this football field. It's a huge mental transformation,"
   Mossanen explained.
   Mossanen moved to the U.S. from Iran as a child and still remembers the
   first time she ever played football in a neighborhood pickup game.
   "I remember getting the phone call from my cousin saying 'come on out,
   we need one more person to play.' I didn't know what it was. I had
   never played the game and I remember going out there and just fell in
   love with it," she recalled.
   Most of the other players on the team have also played since they were
   kids, often either informally or in non-contact leagues. But for team
   owner Tanya Bryan, football was a completely new experience.
   "It's funny; I didn't even realize the sport existed for women," Bryan
   said. "And I got a phone call from a friend of mine and she said there
   was an opportunity to own a team in Baltimore. And I thought it sounded
   really exciting and I said yes, and four years later here I am."
   When Bryan bought the team she did not expect to make money right away
   - though after four years, she is now breaking even. But she thought it
   was more important to give young women in the area the opportunity to
   play the sport.
   "Most of the time as women growing up we're told not to be aggressive,
   not to be assertive," Bryan noted. "It's nice to have an outlet where
   you can come somewhere and let all of that out. You can be loud, you
   can hit somebody. You can just let it all go. It's really healthy and
   the team camaraderie is fantastic."
   The teamwork is evident throughout their recent game against the
   Firebirds. After a slow first half, the Nighthawks scored and hung on
   for an 8-0 win, qualifying them for the playoffs.
   "It's elation! I mean the team deserves it. We've been playing hard.
   It's amazing. Now it's our chance to make the championship," said
   Mossanen.

References

   1. http://www.mybaltimorenighthawks.com/
   2. http://www.youtube.com/embed/yWHXqBhxkRM?rel=0