Women's tackle football has 2 leagues whose championship games are on ESPN2
Women have been playing tackle football for decades, usually under the radar.
Two leagues, operating independently, are helping the sport get more attention.
The Women's Football Alliance will be back on ESPN2 for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display.
The Women's National Football Conference will have its title game on ESPN2 for the first time, live on Saturday from the Dallas Cowboys' Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. The Washington Prodigy will face the Texas Elite Spartans in the title game. In its sixth season, the league has 17 teams from 14 states and Washington, D.C.
The WFA was founded in 2009 and participation has increased by 300% since its debut season, according to Commissioner Lisa King. It has 12 teams from nine states and D.C. in its top level and a total of 55 squads in three divisions. The WFA also has international teams in Europe, Africa, South America and North America.
Like the WFA, the WNFC does not pay salaries.
The WNFC does plan to give a total of $20,000 to the players on the championship team and did budget to pay weekly and season award-winners thanks in part to support from sponsors such as Adidas, Dove and Riddell.
WFA sponsors, which include Wilson, along with ticket sales and licensing rights cover some of the players' costs.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
recommended
in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Fever HC Stephanie White Issues 3-Word Caitlin Clark Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Indiana Fever will once again be without superstar guard Caitlin Clark as they take on the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. Unfortunately, there has been no firm timeline for when she could return to the court. Out of the 34 games the Fever have played this season, Clark has only been available for 13 of them. Even in those games, she was clearly hampered by injuries. Most recently, she has been out for over a month due to a groin injury. So far, she has been unable to even get back on the practice court with her team. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on in the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on in the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo byAhead of the matchup against the Sun, head coach Stephanie White spoke out with a brief update about Clark. Read more: Caitlin Clark's Status for Fever-Sun Game Revealed When asked if Clark would return at some point this season, White spoke out with honest hope. She started off with a three-word message on the situation. "That's the hope," White said. "The hope is that she's back." Her response does not instill confidence in the Indiana fan base that Clark will be seen again this season. It's a good sign that the Fever haven't already shut her down for the year, but quite often hope doesn't become a reality. Right now, Indiana is fighting for its playoff life. Due to losing four out of their last five games, the Fever have dropped down to No. 7 in the WNBA standings. They still rank No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings. Clark returning to the court might just be the push that Indiana needs to get back to being a contender. Ideally, with the time she has been out, she would be coming back at 100 percent health without much of a risk of another injury popping up. Read more: Paige Bueckers Fires Back at Fever's Sophie Cunningham's Referee Comments During the 13 games that she has played this season, Clark's performance has not lived up to the WNBA MVP hype she was receiving before the year began. She has averaged 16.5 points per game to go along with 8.8 assists, five rebounds, and 1.6 steals. Clark has also shot just 36.7 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from three-point range. Hopefully, the Fever will have some good news to share about Clark in the near future. For now, all fans can do is wait and hope that she'll be able to make a return to the court before the end of the year. Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all Indiana Fever and WNBA news and updates.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jaxson Dart impressing in the preseason has not changed the Giants' plan at quarterback
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — One play into the New York Giants' fourth possession of their second preseason game, Brian Daboll called in Jaxson Dart without warning. 'Serious?' Dart asked, before making a throw that turned into a 30-yard gain and jogging back to the sideline, with Russell Wilson returning. It was all about putting the rookie quarterback in a situation he could face sooner or later in the NFL. 'You don't know what's going to happen,' Daboll said. 'Just be ready to go when your number's called.' Dart passed that test and has made a strong first impression as a pro since the Giants traded back into the first round to draft him as their potential QB of the future. Completing 13 consecutive passes and 14 of 16 total on Saturday night against the Jets should give the organization and its fans plenty of optimism about what is to come, but it has not changed the plan for Wilson to start and Dart to wait in the wings. 'Russ is our starter, and we're going to keep developing Jaxson,' Daboll said. 'We have a plan. ... We just have to keep working with him and understand there's going to be a lot of downs. I know there's some ups right now, but there's going to be a lot of downs and we just got to keep growing and communicating, just keep getting better.' Daboll, who is going into his fourth season coaching the Giants after getting the gig in part because of his work in Buffalo to develop Josh Allen on the path to becoming league MVP, insists there's a roadmap being followed. He is not exactly forthright about what it looks like. In exhibition game No. 2, it included not just one snap but an entire drive for Dart with the first-team offense. Why? 'Because that was part of the plan,' Daboll deadpanned. Whatever the plan is, and whenever Dart gets his first NFL start, the 22-year-old Mississippi product seems to be on board. 'They've done it with so many other quarterbacks. I trust them in the process,' Dart said. 'I have great guys around me, great coaches who have won and done it at the highest level, so I just look forward to learning each and every day.' Wilson echoed the other side, saying he's willing to keep teaching Dart what he has stockpiled from playing more than a decade in the league, including winning the Super Bowl at what is now their home stadium in the Meadowlands. 'I'm never shy about giving information and talking about it,' Wilson, now 36, said after his own impressive preseason game that included an 80-yard pass play to undrafted free agent Beaux Collins. 'I think (Dart has) done a tremendous job. He definitely has worked at it every day. He works at it every day, and he asks the right questions. That's what I enjoy about him.' Daboll appears to enjoy working with Dart, clearly along with general manager Joe Schoen and college scouts seeing enough that they liked to give up assets to use the 25th pick on the 6-foot-2 righty signal-caller. His stance continues to be that the Giants are trying to 'help Jaxson be the best quarterback he can be,' without many details on what that entails. Part of it is tempering expectations. Barring injury, Wilson will lead New York's offense onto the field for the season opener Sept. 7 at Washington and keep that role for some time. The Giants are trying to exercise patience with Dart and play the long game. 'We spent a lot of time with him, have a lot of confidence in the young man,' Daboll said. 'He's done a good job for us since he's been here in every area you could do — off the field, on the field, leadership, moxie, intelligence — but it's early. We've played a couple preseason games against probably some vanilla looks but he's making strides every day and that's all you can ask of any other young player.'
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Caitlin Clark's Status for Fever-Sun Game Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Indiana Fever are set to face off against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday afternoon in a huge road matchup with playoff implications. Caitlin Clark's team has been struggling to stay afloat in the race for the postseason. Over their last five games, the Fever have mustered up a 1-4 record. They have been quickly falling in the WNBA playoff standings. With that being said, they can't be blamed much. Clark has been unable to play since July 15 in a game due to her groin injury. That matchup happened to be against the Sun. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever brings the ball up the court in the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever brings the ball up the court in the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo byFans have been anxiously awaiting Clark's return to the court. For those hoping to see her play against Connecticut today, an official decision has been made. Read more: Fever Superstar Caitlin Clark Gets Updated Return Projection From ESPN Unfortunately, Clark has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Sun. Earlier this week, Indiana head coach Stephanie White spoke out with an update about Clark. "She's been able to get a little bit more in her full court running with all of her body weight," White said. "It's really building up from doing minimal to then building some endurance to do longer periods of time. She's been able to do a little bit more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet." That is not an extremely great update. Clark hasn't even returned to the practice court. Before she can get back into a WNBA game, she'll need to ramp up from a conditioning perspective and test out her groin to make sure that it's fully healed. To this point in the season, the Fever have played in 34 games. Clark has only been able to participate in 13 of them. Even when she has played, the injuries she has dealt with this year have hampered her ability to produce big numbers. In the 13 games she has played, Clark has averaged just 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, five rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. She has shot 36.7 percent overall and 27.9 percent from three-point range. Read more: Paige Bueckers Fires Back at Fever's Sophie Cunningham's Referee Comments Hopefully, some good news comes out about Clark in the near future. She was supposed to be an MVP candidate and have Indiana looking like a championship contender. It's unknown if Clark will be able to return this season, but it's now known that today is not the day of that hopeful return. Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all Indiana Fever and WNBA news and updates.
