“Men are clinging to football on a level we aren’t even aware
of. For centuries, we ruled everything, and now, in the last 10
minutes, there are all these incursions by women. It’s our Alamo.”
–Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post columnist.

Last weekend, as they have done for the better part of a decade,
the Greek community at Saint Louis University summoned every
willing and able sorority girl in what has become a yearly
transformation of cute, intelligent, aspiring women into goddesses
of the gridiron for a day of trash talking and good old-fashioned
American flag football. Trading in their mascara for eye black and
lipstick for mouth guards, the evolution of this annual sorority
flag football tournament has reached epic proportions. Surpassing
the glory of any intramural championship, the winner of this
glorious tournament, aptly named SLUperbowl, simply earns a
travelling trophy with the team name inscribed upon it. The battle
scars only last a week or two, but the memories last a lifetime–or
at least until next year.

The tournament just completed its 10th year. It was started by
the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity here at SLU a decade ago. Since
its inception, it has grown to become a full- blown event where all
five sororities (Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Delta, Delta Gamma, Sigma
Kappa and Gamma Phi Beta) field two teams, usually one pledge team
and one active team.

It used to be that this game of eight-on-eight flag football was
dominated by strong offensive lines, running games reminiscent of
the Green Bay Packer teams of the early ’60s and big defenses. But
just as the NFL schemes and strategies have changed over the years,
so, too have those of the various SLUperbowl teams.

Smash mouth football has been replaced by the Florida Gators’
open aerial assault. Big defensive lines have been replaced by
quick defensive lines. And the most commonly called penalty of
offensive holding has been edged out by pass interference.
Coincidentally, as the number of passing attempts increased over
the years, the number of injuries has decreased; at least serious
injuries have decreased. With girls becoming all the more athletic
and breaking down gender barriers like the ones we males used to
enjoy surrounding our beloved sport of football, physical contact
has been on the rise.

The mental pictures of dainty little girls prancing around with
flags on and running away from pursuing linebackers in hopes of not
getting hurt have no place on this field of play. Stiff arms,
diving catches and end-zone dives are all the rage now. With the
increasing athleticism and football knowledge, things will only get
better from here. As for the games themselves, they have typically
been dominated by one sorority: Alpha Delta Pi. ADPi has won the
last three in a row and nine of the ten that have been played, with
the only exception of a Kappa Delta win three years ago, where the
Kappa Deltas knocked out the ADPi’s in the championship game during
a torrential downpour. Actually, that game was the turning point
for this particular brand of female football. From that point on
the winning teams began to open up their offenses and air it out.
Playbooks, which were nonexistent four years ago, are now a
necessity, and three wide receiver sets have all but eliminated the
traditional wishbone packages employed by the titans of the
’90s.

This past season, there were four sororities who put themselves
in a position to go home with the hardware. And while the results
were a mirror image of years past, I’d be remiss if I did not at
least mention that I see a certain anchorclad sorority emerging as
a force in the years to come, especially with the knowledge of just
how tough it is to repeat as champions.

So here’s to you, ladies. Your endless pursuit of the almighty
“W” and your new- found knowledge of the sport of football has
earned you a place in the hearts and minds of your adoring
public.

And while we men may not be ready to share the field of battle
with you just yet, we can say that you have at least earned a spot
next to us on the couch on Sundays.