Chantell Taylor looks like a model.
Many would describe her as beautiful, but Javell Thompson might not be among them — likely not after being flattened by Taylor onto the artificial turf at the Bridgeview Sports Dome.
Then again, Taylor and Thompson are teammates, players for the Chicago Bliss women’s football team. And Thompson, a running back, was fair game during a recent practice.
The Bliss, which got its start in the Lingerie Football League, has moved back to Bridgeview this season and will play its home opener against the Omaha Heart at 8 p.m. Saturday at Toyota Park, 7000 Harlem Ave. The team won its April 11 opener against the Atlanta Steam, 27-24, in Duluth, Ga.
The Lingerie Football League began in 2009 as an expansion of the Lingerie Bowl — a 2004 pay-per-view special broadcast during halftime of the Super Bowl that year. It became the Legends Football League in 2013.
As part of the rebranding, the uniforms underwent some changes. The league refers to the new uniforms as “performance wear,” though they still resemble the skimpy outfits worn originally.
Regardless of attire, head coach Keith Hac said Bliss players should not be underestimated for their athleticism. In recent years, the league has been building the quality of the sport, he said.
“There’s been a much higher focus on the overall athletic ability of the players,” Hac said. “The caliber of play has thus gotten much better, the games are very entertaining.”
Especially if you win. The Bliss is seeking a third straight league championship.
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“Most of the team is back, and we expect to win it again,” Hac said.
Running back Chrisdell Harris, who ran for 83 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening win, also is optimistic about the 2015 season.
“Chicago Bliss is the best LFL team in the world right now,” she said.
The Bliss also played at Toyota Park in 2011. It did not play in 2012 but otherwise has called the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates home until the return to Bridgeview this season. The team will play six games, three home and three away, with the other homer games at 1 p.m. May 10 and 8 p.m. Aug. 15 (also both against Atlanta). Tickets range from about $10 to $60 plus box office fees, team officials said.
The team also will hit the road again for games June 13 and Aug. 8, visiting Ralston, Nebraska to play against the Omaha Heart on both occasions. There are also teams in Las Vegas, Seattle and Los Angeles.
The Fuse network televises LFL games at 8 p.m. Saturdays.
Many Bliss players participated in collegiate sports, including track and field and softball. Some have played in other women’s football leagues. Hac previously served as associate head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.
Each Legends Football League team has 20 players, fielding seven at a time. The rules are similar to other indoor football leagues, including a 50-yard field.
“I love the intensity of it, I love the contact,” said Kim Perez, a sporting goods store manager from Peoria who’s in her third year on the Bliss. “There are not many women’s sports where you can just haul out and hit somebody.”
Steph Murray and quarterback Heather Furr, both of Plainfield, are also among those on the roster.
For more information about the Bliss or the league, visit http://www.lflus.com.
David Lipowski is a freelance reporter.