Before the year ended, I had to make my yearly post about Deena Fagiano and the Chicago Bliss. I'm running low on unused pictures though.
I started coving the Chicago Bliss of the then-Lingerie Football League in 2012. It was easy for anyone to dismiss the woman and league as models trying to pay football. Don't let the league name fool you though. While there certainly were a few women who fit that description in the earlier years of the league, nobody would call anyone on the Bliss just a model.
The Bliss certainly were full of attractive women, but they were elite athletes. Make no mistake about that. Most were college athletes at some point. Look at my many previous posts about the Bliss and you will see who they were and what they did.
Offensive line-tight end Deena was one of my favorites right from the start. Deena was not at a stats position, therefore going under the radar in the stats categories. Heather Furr was the rockstar QB. ChrisDell Harris was the dynamite running back. Alli Alberts was the world class receiver. Yashi Rice was the menacing defender. They all earned stats and headlines.
Meanwhile, Deena did her job of opening holes or blocking defenders, occasionally catching a pass. Someone has to do that type of grunt work and Deena was perfect. She was also a great interview, fun with the fans and a good representative of the team and league.
We had a lot of fun back then. I was lucky enough to be around this team for several years. I miss all of them.
The league is not the X League and the Bliss is now the Blitz. I don't cover them as much, but I still support any women athlete.
Deena Fagiano and me in Bridgeview, IL-March 2015.
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