There is an all-women tackle football in Portland, Oregon called the Portland Fighting Shockwave. The Fighting Shockwave were formed back in 2002, and they play in the Women Football Alliance (WFA), which is the largest women’s football league in the world, with over 60 teams through-out the USA and Canada. 
The Fighting Shockwave were previously called the Portland Shockwave before they merger with the Portland Fighting Fillies before the 2015 season. The players who play for the Fighting Shockwave are all 18 or older and also have day jobs. Normally there are 24-50 players who play for the Fighting Shockwave per season. They do not get paid, they play football for the passion and being part of a team. And no, they do not play in lingerie; they play in full uniforms and pads just like the men do.
Same as everyone else, the Fighting Shockwave were hit hard by COVID-19. They had to cancel their entire 2020 season due to the pandemic. Thus, they did not have any income from ticket sales or fundraisers and missed the opportunity to get their name out to the public and continue to build their brand. The Fighting Shockwave were working with the media months before the pandemic hit. 
They were talking to almost a dozen newspapers, multiple TV stations, OPB, and a couple of magazines. However, even though the Fighting Shockwave managed to get some media attention the pandemic really put a damper on all their pre-season hard work. This really hurt a team that already lacks resources and name recognition. The Fighting Shockwave don’t have the have deep pockets and name recognition as more well-known teams do such as the Trail Blazers. They have to rely on volunteers and constantly hitting the pavement on their own to get their name out there. But, the biggest disappointment, for the players wasn’t the lost efforts of their media work but, as owner Rebecca Brisson said “that they could not play together as a team and missed out on the game-day experiences a season brings. These ladies were practicing three times a week. 
Then had it all taken away from them. It was really heartbreaking. Especially for the rookies that were so excited to take the field for the first time.” The Fighting Shockwave are looking forward towards a 2021 season and looking to build a stronger relationship with the fans, the community, and the media. They just want to get back to playing the game they love and show the public that women can play tackle football without any special gimmicks.
