How many fathers would be comfortable letting their daughters play in the Lingerie Football League? I mentioned that Angela Rypien, Mark Rypien’s daughter, was following in her father’s footsteps as quarterback for the LFL’s Seattle Mist, and I think my husband’s head did a full 360. Then I mentioned that her dad had attended the first game on September 30, and he said, “What’s wrong with that guy?”
I doubt my husband is the only father that would feel this way. The strange thing is, Mark’s hands off parenting style seems to be getting a lot of approval in the media. Both daughter and father agree they haven’t really discussed if dad is comfortable with his little girl out there on the field, playing ball in her bra and panties, and he hasn’t stepped up and said, “I think this a horrible idea.”
In fact, Mark spends much time rationalizing to the media how he can sit there in the stands while lusty men cat call his daughter. He is quoted as saying:
Yeah, they’re out there in their bra and panties and they’re playing football. Once the first snap happens and they start smacking each other around, you lose sight of all of that and you’re looking at the technical aspects of the game.
I can’t be sure he really means this because later in the interview when asked if he feels there is the potential of getting in a fight with a fan, he says:
There’s no chance of [a fight] happening. One, some guy [would] probably whoop my a** out in the parking lot. What good’s that gonna do? And if I did whoop his a** in the parking lot, what good’s that gonna do? I’ll get a lawsuit against me.
I hate to point this out, but if the only thing holding a dad back from getting in a fight is a big, messy, publicized lawsuit, then you are probably holding back your true feelings about this situation.
Since when is it “bad” parenting for a dad to want to protect his daughter’s honor and propriety? Even when our children grow into young adults, it is always the father’s job to protect and care for his children.
How can a father allow his daughter to prostitute herself for a sport in front of millions of fans that calls itself “True Fantasy Football?” Yeah, I think we can all guess what the fantasy is here.
If we want our daughters to grow to feel proud of their bodies and protective of their sexuality, they first must have a strong relationship with their father or father figure. As a young girl comes of age, her father is the first man that demonstrates to her how men treat women, respect them, and honor their sexuality. If a father isn’t showing his daughter this, then who will? If a father isn’t defending this, who will? It’s part of honoring our children and our family, and it IS our job as parents.
—Photo KellBailey/Flickr
