HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — In sports, it's common to say that a player or team plays "for the love of the game." The Tampa Bay Inferno is the living definition of that phrase. The Inferno plays in the Women's Football Alliance, a league with over 50 teams divided into different divisions based on every level of experience.
Women's tackle football leagues have existed in some form or fashion for almost 50 years.
Most women who play tackle football want to take full advantage because they never got the chance growing up.
"We were always told that we couldn't do it," team captain Dominique "D.J." Jacobs said before Tuesday night's practice. "Why not? We can play basketball. We can run track. We can do tennis. We can play football, too. We're just as competitive. We're strong. It's a mentality."
"You watch your brothers play, your cousins. You're like, 'Man, I could probably do that,'" said fellow captain Meg Joyce. "Now I'm so happy that there's [flag football] for girls, and now actually tackle football for women. I didn't know about it until three years ago. And I'm like, 'Yeah!" I jumped on it, and I love it. It's awesome."
Players and coaches receive sponsorship money, but they pay for almost everything out of their pockets. A third-year receiver, Joyce said it's worth every penny because she loves the sport.
"It's about being passionate. When you're passionate about it, you're going to get up and go play," she added. "We risk our bodies, our time, our money. So do the coaches. We do it because we love the sport."
Along with paying a large chunk of the team's bills, players and coaches balance day jobs and family life with bi-weekly practices and multiple road trips to places like Pittsburgh, Boston, and Miami. Head coach Arlo Henderson said being a part of the Inferno is remarkable.
"They're pure in their pursuit. It really is for the love of the game," he said before practice. "The way that they embrace it, and the process, and deal with the outside challenges of 'How do I go to work with a limp?' It's really kind of impressive."
Henderson added that it's essential to grow the women's game by listening to everyone who cares about the sport of football - at all levels.
"If you love the game, you want to see the game grow. And that, to me, that is the most enthusiastic thing about it," he continued. "To watch the game and say, 'We want the best input- regardless of the medium, regardless of the person or individual.' Let's get the best person for these players to learn this game. So we can keep it safe, keep it fun, keep it exciting, and continue to advance the game to the next level."
Considering all the factors involved, it'd be easy to call it quits when the going gets tough. Tom Hanks' character said it best when describing baseball in the movie "A League of Their Own."
"The hard is what makes it great." D.J. tore her ACL last year, but she has no intention of hanging up her helmet and walking away from football.
"A lot of people asked me if I'm coming back. Of course, I'm coming back. I still have something to prove," she said with resolve. "Until I feel like I don't, I'm going to keep coming back."
She says she wants to be a role model for young girls who haven't had the chance to grow up with tackle football. She joked that she ran into one future Inferno player during one of their road trips.
"In the airport in Orlando, I had my bags. The mom looked at her daughter and said, 'Look! Look at her helmet,' and the girl just lit up."
"Whether it's Instagram, writing to us, 'Hey, my daughter was at your game. Is there any way she can come to a practice?' That's why we're here," Joyce added. "We want to pave the road for those girls."
"We want to show the world that we can play, too," D.J. said.
For more information about the Tampa Bay Inferno, head to their website HERE, Instagram page @tbinferno_womensfootball, or Twitter @tbinferno.
