The Extreme Football League (X League) is a women's semi-professional indoor American football league operating in the United States. The league was originally founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League (LFL), and it was later rebranded as the Legends Football League in 2013.
They did not play in 2020 or 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2022, concluding with the restructured league's inaugural championship, the X Cup, won by the Chicago Blitz.
Since 2021, the league has been owned by Mike Ditka, a former National Football League (NFL) player and an inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Samantha Gordon was also named an owner in May 2022.
They did not play from 2023 to 2025 but were scheduled to return in 2026 as a hybrid format of tackle and flag football; the season did not materialize and the league has been silent as to why or as to its present or future status.
History
LFL 2009–2012 The concept of the league originated from an alternative Super Bowl halftime television special called the Lingerie Bowl, a pay-per-view event broadcast opposite the Super Bowl halftime show.
In 2009, league chairman Mitch Mortaza expanded the concept from a single annual exhibition game to a ten-team league, branded as the Lingerie Football League, or LFL. The league operated on a similar schedule to the National Football League (NFL), playing in fall and winter and played most of its games indoors with similar rules to indoor football. Many of the teams were coached by former NFL players and coaches who were already well known in their respective cities. Many of the LFL players had a background in other competitive athletics at the college and semiprofessional level, as well as some experience in tackle football from playing in other semiprofessional leagues.
The initial uniforms consisted of shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, performance wear, and ice hockey-style helmets with clear plastic visors in lieu of face masks. The original uniforms of the Lingerie Football League consisted of an athletic bra and underwear that were more revealing than protective, as well as added lace, ribbons, and garters as decoration. While these uniforms were routinely criticized by media, players' reactions were typically mixed on the use of the uniforms, comparing the similarities in coverage to track and field uniforms or beach volleyball bikinis.
Expansion and rebranding: 2012–2019
After three seasons, the league announced it was adding a companion league in Canada that began play in August 2012. It then pushed back the US season to 2013 on a spring and summer schedule, mirroring other indoor football leagues.
During the hiatus, the league announced it would change its name to the Legends Football League, retaining the LFL initials, on January 10, 2013. The league also announced that the athletes would wear "performance apparel" instead of lingerie, but the uniforms look very much the same as before. In addition to the new uniforms, redesigned shoulder pads were introduced to provide more protection for players. Other league changes included eliminating images of sexy women from team logos and changing the league tagline from "True Fantasy Football" to "Women of the Gridiron". Along with the rebrand of the league in 2013, the league also began changing the uniforms as the originals were too heavy on sex appeal, initially dropping the ribbons and garters. The league designed new ones for the 2014 season closer to more traditional activewear, resembling uniforms similar to volleyball players, replacing the ribbons with shoelaces on the front of the top and bottom.
The LFL then began looking into a Latin American league with six franchises throughout Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. On September 16, 2013, the LFL postponed the entire 2013 LFL Canada season until 2014 with plans to merge the US, Canada, and Mexico teams into a single league called LFL North America.
The LFL then formed another league in Australia in December 2013 and played one season. LFL Australia's debut season in the beginning of 2014 marked the debut of the new performance wear uniforms. The LFL planned to launch a fourth global league – LFL Europa – in 2015 with teams in Dublin (Ireland), Manchester (England), Düsseldorf and Hamburg (Germany). Barcelona (Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany) had previously been mentioned as potential franchise cities. With four global leagues, the league announced intentions to compete in a LFL World Bowl in São Paulo in 2015. By July 2014, the league planned a three leagues: LFL Americas, LFL Europa, and LFL Oceania. On June 10, 2015, the LFL announced that there would be no international play through at least 2017 with sole focus on growing the league in the US, the exception being international exhibition games to introduce prospective countries to the league.
The LFL announced new uniforms with new colors for the 2016 season. Numbers and logos were printed on the uniform as opposed to previously being sewn on. In addition, the league also announced that teams would have a choice of camouflage or black alternates. In 2017, the league also added a long pants uniform in lieu of the regular bikini bottom for the final home games.
Extreme Football League Hiatus and restructuring: 2020–present On December 13, 2019, the league announced that it would not be producing a 2020 season and would re-evaluate markets in the future. Four days later, the LFL was restructured into the Extreme Football League, which was announced to begin play in April 2020. The league size remained at eight teams, which initially were all in the same markets as the former LFL teams, but under new team identities. The Nashville Knights were the only team listed in the X League announcement to not change names, but they were replaced by the Kansas City Force in January 2020. As part of the league restructuring, it began offering ownership stakes to its players and coaches based on the individuals contributions and commitment to the organization, as well as revenue distribution program for merchandise featuring an individual player's likeness. The league also said it was to use 70-yard fields in a press release, although this was never implemented. The league implements a new uniform with full pads.
The league's first season was postponed to a scheduled start in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, it had been announced that it was postponed again to April 2021. During the hiatus, the league announced Mike Ditka had been named owner and chairman of the league, with plans on expanding into 24 US markets. The season was ultimately cancelled on May 18, 2021, pushing the league's relaunch to the summer of 2022 due to the pandemic.
The 2022 season began on June 10 with the Chicago Blitz facing the Kansas City Force. After a nine-week regular season with a total of seven games, four teams advanced to the playoffs, with the Blitz capturing the first X Cup title on September 10 when they defeated the Atlanta Empire.
They did not play from 2023 to 2025, but were scheduled to return in 2026, as a hybrid format of tackle and flag football. In the lead-up to the 2026 season the X League website announced several financial sponsorships and merchandising arrangements. A schedule was released which curiously separated the Eastern and Western conference schedules with the latter completing before the former played. As the year began, the website removed the season schedule and no ticket information was available; ticket sites such had no events or ticket prices listed. However, league's social media continued to post about combines and try-outs. When April 4 arrived, the scheduled debut game did not take place and all social media outlets for the league remained silent as to the cause or status of the league prompting confusion among fans and questions about financial fraud and insolvency.
Rules
Playing style is full-contact and similar to other indoor football leagues. There are seven players from each team on the field during play. The field is 50 yards between end zones, 30 yards wide, and the end zones are 8 yards deep, roughly the same as other indoor leagues. Many fields are just over 28 yards wide, as games are often played in converted National Hockey League-sized rinks (85 feet wide), with the plexiglass removed, dasher boards padded, and ice surfaces covered with artificial turf.
There are no kickoffs, except the option for an on-side kick should the game be close near the end, nor field goals; halves and after scores begin on team's own 15-yard line. Kicking off after every scoring drive was added before the 2013 Pacific Cup, but was removed shortly after the first game of the LFL Australia season. A team must attempt to get a first down on every fourth down, or they risk a turnover. After a touchdown, a team can attempt a one-point conversion from the one-yard line, or a two-point conversion from the three-yard line. Since 2015, teams are given the option to punt if within their own 10 yard line; the ball is placed on the 15 or wherever it went out of bounds if the punt is not returned.
A game consists of four ten-minute quarters and a 12-minute halftime (30-minute halftime in championship). In the event of a tie, an extra eight-minute sudden death period is played; whoever scores first wins the game. If still tied, the game ends as a draw, and counts as tie for both teams in the standings. In postseason games, multiple 10-minute sudden death overtime periods are played until one team scores, which wins the game and advances to the next round or wins the championship. Teams get two timeouts per half or overtime period.
Reception The league was met with criticism throughout its existence. Critics say the league degrades female athletes through "pernicious objectification". The uniforms received extensive criticism for their revealing nature. In an ESPN article, Sarah Spain, the co-host of espnW, wrote, "After watching these women play, I can honestly say I respect the heck out of them as athletes, but I'll still never respect the Lingerie Football League, no matter what name they give it."
LFL players with experience in track and field competitions noted that the typical LFL uniform is comparable to other uniforms, with Elizabeth Govrick of the Minnesota Valkyrie stating she "ran track and I was wearing, you know, stuff if not close to almost smaller than what I'm wearing out on the football field. You take beach volleyball, you take volleyball, you take other sports where it's pretty much the same thing."Chapman, Reg (October 17, 2011). Inside Look At Full-Contact, Competitive Lingerie Football. WCCO. Retrieved October 17, 2011. Adrian Purnell of the Jacksonville Breeze said that the outfits were only for marketing purposes. Heather Furr, a quarterback for the Chicago Bliss said "I think with little girls watching the game ... if they can see past the uniform and see us as role models, then that's what I want." Abbie Sullivan of the Cleveland Crush stated, "Just because we play in the LFL does not mean we promote promiscuity. We are smart females. We are athletes who take care of our bodies. We are the total package." Similarly, Toledo Crush player Marija Condric stated, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Sit down and watch. You'll forget what we are wearing and you will be thinking about how hard that girl got hit on that last play."
Other players are quoted as viewing the uniforms as a necessary evil, with one saying, "Maybe one day, girls won't have to wear lingerie to get people interested [in women's football]." Liz Gorman, a player with the Jacksonville Breeze, stated she would rather wear a conventional uniform: "I mean, I don't like it. You'd rather wear full clothing. I have a bunch of scrapes on me."