Story and Photos by Lauren Means
The Music City Mizfits were trickling onto the field for practice on a chilly Saturday morning. Team owner, Danita Hines, and head coach, Don Ragsdale, were out there ready to get their team going.
For Hines, it’s about more than just ownership. She started playing in the women’s league in 2005 on various teams across the state. In 2015, the team she was on folded but many of the women involved still wanted to play. Hines decided to take the leap from player to owner in 2016 and Music City Mizfits was born.
One of a handful of women’s teams in Tennessee, the Mizfits is a member of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). Currently, comprising 65 teams, the WFA is the largest, longest-running, and most competitive women’s tackle football league in the world. Women’s tackle football isn’t only in the states. There are international leagues in Mexico, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Europe.
While reports of women’s football have been around since the late 1800s, most instances were novelty or seen as entertainment. In the 1960s, women’s leagues began formalizing with the foundation of the Women’s Professional Football League in 1965 by a talent agent named Sid Friedman.
The sport has seen its share of changes and growth since that time, but the reasons for joining remain steady. People like the sport, want to get some exercise and want to be a part of a team. That is what got Hines interested. Hines played basketball during high school. Later in life, after marriage and kids, she saw an ad for a women’s league and thought it’d be a good way to get some exercise, make new friends, and travel.
“You know, you got to travel and meet a lot of different people. I’ve met a lot of different women and made a lot of lifelong friends,” said Hines. She saw firsthand how women’s football is underappreciated. “Most people look at it as some type of niche sometimes, it’s a novelty. [But] you know, once you get out there, you’re like, ‘No, this is, this is real football,’” she explained.
No Experience Necessary
Most players have limited to no experience in football. Some have played other sports, and there are some that have never played sports prior to starting with the Mizfits.
Bianca Owens, who plays on the line, played powderpuff football and said it was only played on special occasions. Owens says the biggest difference for her is the hitting and getting hit. Kim Booker, a linebacker, played in middle school. Booker says it is a different experience playing on an all-female team vs being the only female on the team.
Both players say they will be back for a second season. “This pretty much has been my dream since I was a kid. I always dreamed about playing football. So even though it’s not what I thought I was gonna do, this plan just to play, I love. I look forward to practice every single day,” Booker said.
Defensive end Sabrina Rose is in her second year with the team. Rose says stepping onto the field for the first time was one of her favorite moments from her rookie year. “It kind of just all hits you, especially when we played our first game at the Titans stadium. You just looked up and it was just like, ‘I’ve never done that. Like, that’s pretty cool,’” she remembered.
Rose also encourages anyone with even a slight interest to give it a try. “Don’t give up, just come on and give it a try. A lot of people are scared. They don’t want to come out here and when they do, it’s fun. You get to meet a lot of good people. It’s a really good experience.”
Picking back up
Hines did share that they took a slight hit during COVID-19 with games being canceled and when games resumed, the logistics made it difficult to get a full roster available to play. “In certain cities, you had to quarantine for 24 to 48 hours,” she explained. “It’s kind of hard when the game is on Saturday. So that team, we have to arrive on Thursday and then be there Friday and then play the game on Saturday.”
Because of these logistical challenges affecting all teams, they shortened the season to six games. Hines hopes by next season they will be back to an eight-game season.
Right now they have 24 active players but are shooting for 30 with a goal of 33 or more players on the roster. And, to be clear, this is not a lingerie league — it’s an 18-and-up, full-contact, tackle league. They have had players from 18 to 50 and they welcome all levels of experience.
Erica Lumpkins, who plays on the line as a guard, is 42 and in her second year. She finds the Mizfits to be fun in a great, family-like atmosphere. She didn’t play as a child but had five brothers which got her some experience. Lumpkins said not to let lack of experience stop you from joining the team. “Even if you haven’t played before, just come out and try it. You can always learn anything from football. It’s good exercise. You have fun. It’s a good atmosphere and you meet new people.”
Katie Poole, in her rookie year, did give some good advice for people thinking of joining. Regardless of age and experience in the game, you need to take your physical shape and ability to recover into consideration. “If you’ve spent a lifetime in athletics, you’re going to be a whole lot better off than someone who’s been pretty much sedentary until 40,” Poole said. You don’t want to overload your body, but with practice and training, you can build endurance. She urges anyone who is interested to give it a try, “I mean, if it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing, but you’ll never know unless you try it. You know, see how your body is and you can adjust to that.”
Becoming a Mizfit
To keep costs reasonable, they now have the team membership set up as a retention plan. Hines explained they only charge a one-time $300 fee with $150 going towards the uniform and the other $150 going toward team expenses. All other costs are supported by sponsors and fundraisers. Once you complete your rookie year, every year after that is no cost out of pocket for the player.
One fundraiser that’s proven to be the most successful is with the Titans. They sell tickets for the regular season games and receive a commission off of that. So when you are looking for tickets next season, be sure to hit them up.
The 2023 season kicks off on April 22 with the first two games on the road and the third here in Nashville.
To find out more about the Mizfits and how to join the team, visit https://www.musiccitymizfits.com/.
