Atlanta Steam of Legends Football League (formerly Lingerie Football League) debuts April 18 on Fuse

According to the league's founder and chairman Mitch Mortaza, the LFL is about both.

"What we've done is try to play off the marketability of the sport with the sex appeal to draw people in," Mortaza told me today. "Once you bring in a fan base and expose them to the sport, then they become true fans. Then you can modify and get it closer to the male version. That's the ultimate goal."

Initially dubbed cheekily as the Lingerie Football League from 2009 to 2013, the LFL features athletic women in skimpy football outfits (bikini tops, exposed mid-riffs, mini shorts, shoulder pads, helmet) playing a modified seven on seven version of what has been known as a men's game. The name change in 2013 to "Legends" from "Lingerie" was clearly a move to help extinguish the idea this was a novelty or a joke.

LFL games, which have aired on TV in past years on MyNetworkTV and MTV2, are migrating this season to the Fuse Network. The opener will air featuring the Atlanta Steam versus the Chicago Bliss Saturday night at 9 p.m.

This particular game, played at Gwinnett Arena April 11, was taped a week in advance.

There are currently six teams owned and managed by the LFL (Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Omaha, Seattle). One game airs per week on Fuse over 18 weeks, followed by two semi-final playoff games and a Legends Cup championship game August 29.

The Atlanta Steam, which debuted in 2013, features Dakota Hughes, a 20-year-old Canton quarterback and Kennesaw State University student who was rookie of the year last year.  In her first game, she messed up her wrist but still threw a touchdown. She was quickly named team captain. Hughes is being marketed as the face of the league.

The next Atlanta Steam home game at Gwinnett Arena is May 2 against the Omaha Heart. Ticket prices are $13 to $48.

Mortaza said Atlanta Steam attendance has been 2,500 to 3,000 per game, generating enough revenue to cover costs, which he said is wonderful for a fledgling team. He said the league is self sustaining, unlike the WNBA, which is subsidized by the NBA.

This is still an amateur sport. The women are not compensated and play full tackle football at great risk of injury. Mortaza hopes within two or three years, as the league grows, they'll be able to begin compensating the players.

He acknowledges the quality of play is still a work in progress. Women in general did not grow up playing football the way men did. He cited the film "League of Their Own," which featured women learning to play baseball during World War II. The women on these teams are frequently being taught the game as they go. Many are former college athletes from track, field hockey, lacrosse and the like.

Mortaza thinks if the LFL inspires enough young teens to get into the sport early, they'll soon be ready by the time they hit 18 to play in the LFL.

He hopes to replicate the success of the UFC and WWE and targets a similar demographic of young adults. Surprisingly, he said 40 percent of fans are women despite the fact many of the women are blatant eye candy for dudes. There are similar leagues in Europe, Australia and Canada.

"We're still very young as a league," he said. "Given our age, we're pretty far ahead of the curve in terms of attendance, TV viewership and sponsorships."

He is in talks with Oxygen Network to do a reality show, similar to "Total Divas" on E! as a complement to WWE female wrestling. "Our show will be more developed around the athleticism," he said.

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho