{"id":21898,"date":"2009-03-19T18:30:40","date_gmt":"2009-03-20T01:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spiken.wpengine.com\/news\/kent-city-officials-weigh-in-on-lingerie-football-league\/"},"modified":"2009-03-19T18:30:40","modified_gmt":"2009-03-20T01:30:40","slug":"kent-city-officials-weigh-in-on-lingerie-football-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/news\/kent-city-officials-weigh-in-on-lingerie-football-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Kent city officials weigh in on Lingerie Football League"},"content":{"rendered":"

The announcement that a somewhat risque sport will be coming to Kent\u2019s ShoWare Center<\/a> has drawn a mixed bag of reactions from city leadership.<\/p>\n

The Lingerie Football League<\/a>, which features women in frilly undergarments playing tackle football, will have two matches, Sept. 11 and Jan. 1, at the city-owned arena. The announcement, made last week by SMG, the company that Kent has hired to manage ShoWare, drew a rash of angry responses<\/a> from local Reporter readers.<\/p>\n

Granted, that number of readers is a handful, considering the population size of Kent.<\/p>\n

The Reporter ran a front-page story<\/a> about the event \u2013 complete with photos \u2013 in its March 14 edition, as well as putting the story on its Web site.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon City Council, mayor, Kent business owners \u2013 is this the image we want for our city?\u201d Kent resident Lora Smith responded in a letter to the editor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the point of upscaling our downtown with Kent Station, if we are going to sponsor sleazy entertainment next door?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not so fast, say several local elected officials, about jumping on the anti-lingerie bandwagon.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview Thursday, Mayor Suzette Cooke outlined what the ShoWare Center is about: show business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we opened the ShoWare Center, we got into show business \u2013 and show business runs the full gamut,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople have a choice of whether they want to buy tickets for this event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooke, who indicated she probably would buy a ticket “so I can be there to see what everyone\u2019s talking about,\u201d cautioned against assigning values to what constitutes appropriate entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have different values and they see the same through different experiences, and different eyes,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we begin to censor things because of a particular set of values, that begins to tread on people\u2019s right of gathering, and some people\u2019s right of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted the impending arrival of another form of entertainment – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Sept. 5 and 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we get the circus coming to town, we\u2019ve already been told PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is going to be out protesting,\u201d Cooke said, asking where the line should be drawn, when it comes to what constitutes good entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a slippery slope,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Council President Debbie Raplee said Wednesday it\u2019s not just about entertainment for Kent.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy personal opinion is we brought and approved the ShoWare Center to bring a wide variety of entertainment,\u201d she said. \u201cNot just to Kent, but the whole south county area.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for whether the city should have a say in what the ShoWare Center should bring to Kent, Raplee noted the answer was clear: the city hired SMG to run the facility, and that\u2019s what they are letting the company do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t run it, we don\u2019t operate it – it has been turned over (to SMG). There were no stipulations on what kind of entertainment you can and cannot have,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As for how she felt about women running around in lingerie for a sporting event, Raplee said she didn\u2019t have a personal problem with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, we watch beach volleyball and they\u2019re in pretty skimpy swimsuits,\u201d she said. \u201cThese girls have more clothes on than that, and they\u2019re athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it was pointed out that players also are chosen for their looks, Raplee noted there are plenty of venues where that is happening already.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have beauty contests, and that is based on more than just your intelligence,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s face it – those women are pretty and I\u2019m okay with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilman Ron Harmon, reached Wednesday, suggested the Council revisit its agreement with SMG.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruly I think this is in poor taste,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cThis is something (the contract with SMG regarding the firm\u2019s control over what goes into ShoWare) we should take a look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the very least, Harmon said, the company should have warned city leadership about the event, before going public.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think something of that (level of) controversy, they should have run it by the administration,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cI support the events at the center, but I think also that we have to be cognizant of good taste, and I just wish they\u2019d have used a little more caution in attracting controversial events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Jamie Danielson also said she wished SMG had alerted the Council beforehand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see us going back and redoing the contract with SMG, but in the future it would be nice to talk about some of the controversial things going into Kent,\u201d Danielson said. \u201cI did not know this was on the table until it was announced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danielson also said that while she didn\u2019t want to attend the event, people should see what they want.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, I\u2019ve had a lot of people say they\u2019re going to get tickets,\u201d the councilwoman said. \u201cThere are those people who just think it\u2019s funny and are not offended by it. It is providing something that some people are interested in. People can decide for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilman Tim Clark said that while the Lingerie League \u201cdoesn\u2019t quite fit the venue of family-oriented entertainment,\u201d he noted it\u2019s not the only ShoWare gig.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is there\u2019s lots of other entertainment coming through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Deborah Ranniger said the Council had better things to do than to get involved with managing ShoWare entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Council does not need to be wasting its time deciding every show that ShoWare puts on,\u201d she said. \u201cAs policy setters, we\u2019re looking at bigger issues, like what services do we want to provide our community during tough economic times.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to the Lingerie League itself, Ranniger quipped, \u201cQuite honestly it makes me laugh, and we all need a good laugh during these tough economic times. There\u2019s bigger issues than what we are facing right now, than women with lace on their boy shorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would just encourage people to laugh, take a deep breath, and move on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

(Councilmembers Elizabeth Albertson and Les Thomas were called but could not be reached for comment prior to deadline.)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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