S²T Marketing Promotions©

         Only ten years ago the thoughts of seeing women playing full contact football was considered to be,… well,
slightly off color. Maybe it would have been best described as being frowned upon. At the least by the “high
society” people that held the social status of women to be like it was in the 1800’s. Seen, but not heard. I would
have had to SEE it too before I could have believed it. I’m sure that I would have drawn the same conclusion as
those that doubted it. Just think! A women playing football, come on, a group of very prissy, unexciting women
running around the field, unorganized and with a very low chance of seeing anything that would be considered a
contact game.

Boy,… have times changed! Only five short years ago, the word in the “grapevine” was that there was going to
be a Women’s Professional Football League. After that, it carried very little press and held even less media
value.   But, the league was spawned from two teams and played only a six game schedule.

In 2001, the now established NWFA (National Women’s Football Association) added 8 new teams to the league
and expanded its territorial growth to span the eastern coast. Still, little was said about these women playing full
contact football. And, once again the media value did not take notice.

Attendance topped 5600 screaming fans at a game. Of course that included the on-slot of those face painted, die
hard fan fanatics that could tailgate with anybody. It was also the lead-in to a new era of sports as we knew it. In
2002, milestones were being set and recorded. The NWFA also wrote another first to the history books. It was the
first time that Women’s Football ever had a betting line in Las Vegas. A TV deal was in the works while advertising
sponsors were taking notice…

In 2003, the league was expanding in size but it was still fighting with the thoughts of the past as to how women
should be. Did that slow things down? Did the women head back into the kitchen, did they back up 15 yards and
punt…? The answer to all of these questions ….NO! If anything it added more fuel to the fires that burned within
each player.

Speaking from experience, telling someone that they can’t do something is the sure fire way to have to eat your
words. And as a united movement and league, on lookers watched more and more of these ladies trade in their
aprons and tennis lessons for a chance to play a game that they’d been told they couldn’t do.

The sacred, male dominated, football holy grounds, were no exception to the rule. The thoughts of women and
football should never mix, except maybe as a bouncing cheerleader. Even the old sideline sayings were given
new meaning. “Your Quarterback throws like a girl!!” Guess what she is a girl… and three to one odds says that
she’ll rub your nose in it. Even the hallowed halls of the Pittsburgh Steelers, could not deafen the call of these
athletes passion. With that said, I give you the “Ladies” of the Pittsburgh Passion.

It’s every persons dream to be able to say, they saw something first. When man first reached the moon, more
than half of the population in this country watched. But a funny thing happened that no one was noticing in 2003.
No one was keeping an eye on those one thousand spectators that managed to “watch” every game by the
Passion. By 2004, the fan base and attendance at the games rose to 4000 screaming fans. Not just the player’s
moms and dads, but the city high school football team was there, the soccer teams, the soccer moms, the girl
scouts, even the narrow minded people that first said that it would never last. You name it, and chances are
they’ve seen the Passion play and most-likely have season tickets for 2005.

  These ladies, and I do mean ladies in the nicest sense of the word, have staked their claim and are not about to
release it. I have watched from a far and have seen some of the biggest steps to increase a team’s presence in
the area. Players and coaches finding the time to spend with under privileged children, doing their part with the
“Make A Wish” foundation, even heading out to the rural lands to some little high school to show the kids what a
real dream is and that dreams do come true.

  The NWFA is doing its part by pre-planning the 2006 expansion, but,… the issue here isn’t that they are women.
And, at the risk of sounding one sided, the issue isn’t that they play a man’s sport. The issue here is Football.
Playing the game as it was meant to be played, filled with all the wild dreams of head coaches from the past. They
include mind boggling strategies, mixed formations, deceptions, using superior athletes that play the game. All
done out of the “love” for the game, and not for the big paychecks.

The Pittsburgh Passion in 2005 has taken a huge step towards its future. A change in ownership that sees the
team and the league as it should be… a sport. Not a side show, not a chance for a few females to get together
and say that they play professional football. It’s a personal battle of the sexes, but rather a real chance to
participate at the highest level of female sports.

  Teresa Conn is the new owner of the Pittsburgh Passion. She’s a lady that has the personality that could melt
the coldest of hearts, while her “passion” about the game is as tuff as nails.

I spoke with Teresa about her dreams and about her plans. Her dreams are simple. “I want to be the best player
that I can be, and see the sport that I love, succeed long after I’m gone”

I have spent my life watching small businesses come and I’ve seen small businesses go, but there are certain
items, issues and ideas that cause you to say, “This is going to be big”. I can tell you that I have sat and watched
many football games. I’m an addict. I’ve been addicted for so long, that I can’t even tell you when it happened to
me. I can tell you about the many games that I have watched where I had left before halftime. They were boring…
They do the same old, same olds, nothing gutsy. Coaches that managed to put me to sleep by trying to flex a
strong armed offense, that on a good day couldn’t succeed, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched
players give up because they were loosing at halftime.

What I will tell you is that I have watched these ladies. They aren’t your “average” anything. These ladies take
hits that would have landed any male player on the IR for the rest of the season. Then jump back to their feet and
get back into the huddle. I have seen the perfect “5” step drop of a quarterback, only to be followed by a “bullet”
of a pass to a dashing receiver. They are anything but one dimensional.

I have seen teams line up in a “wishbone” formation and shift into a “full house” backfield. They execute
formations that you can only wish a men’s professional team would attempt. Tell me? When is the last time you
saw your men’s pro team line up in an unbalanced line formation and use the tackle as a running back on a
reverse? Never… And, you most likely never will. That’s what I’m talking about. These ladies have it all. They
are everything that a child should hope to be, physically fit, intelligent and educated, caring about the community,
and (if I might add) as pretty as any other lady on the block. If ever there was a time and place for the youth of our
nation to take heed it is now. These are today’s role models, the ladies of the Pittsburgh Passion.

They are by far the best Marketing Tools for any business. They have battled through every stereotype that has
been placed in front of them. They are committed to their existence without being corruptive, and foremost, they
are still here and growing in numbers.

Okay, you don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. The NWFA season is about to kick off their 2005 season and
all it takes is one game to see real players, playing for the love of the game. Just make sure that when you’re
sitting in your seat at the game, you take a look around at the fans. They come in all shapes and sizes, males and
females, old and young. If you’re lucky enough to see someone you know and you won’t be so timid as to scream
and shout with a passion.

For any business a word to the wise, these women are a Market Partners Golden Goose. If you or your company
would like to see more about the Pittsburgh Passion, or the NWFA, just follow the link and find out more. The
Pittsburgh Passion is a participating member of Ś²Ŧ© Marketing & Promotions Company, and the Passion are open
minded about any interests of the team. Share your thoughts with us at