Women’s Football Alliance National Championship Game Preview

August 3, 2013, 9 p.m. ET, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
Video stream: ESPN 3
Current line: Chicago Force by 20.5
Massey prediction: Chicago 58 – Dallas 26

Although I’d never be one to say that a lot has been written about a women’s tackle football game, it seems like there has been quite a lot written lately about the Chicago Force’s grand quest to finally notch a win in the big one.

Here are a few that have have the backstory, front story, facts and figures and stuff you would normally see in a game preview.

http://allowhertoplay.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/date-with-destiny-at-2013-wfa-national-title-game-for-chicago-force/

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sports/ci_23788380/redlands-high-grad-sami-grisafe-and-chicago-force

http://m.nwitimes.com/sports/football/professional/gray-eager-for-another-shot-at-wfa-title/article_4b1fe917-c1f9-5160-95ba-646efe5d2166.html

I haven’t seen one article that focuses on the Dallas Diamonds, their player’s personal stories, or their equally impressive mission to win their fifth championship, which would be a record for most in all of women’s football history (and tied with the now defunct Detroit Demolition).

It’s pretty clear the Chicago Force are getting all the media attention.

Not to mention Sami Grisafe blowin’ up my Twitter feed the past week when the video of her vocal and ukelele performance of our national anthem at the 2013 IFAF Women’s World Championship went viral.

So, let’s talk about Sami Grisafe, ha. She’s already announced that she will be retiring at the end of the season to pursue a promising career in music and entertainment. It’s do or die, now or never. It all comes down to this. You can throw in every cliché you can think of, but her story, and the story of the 2013 Chicago Force, really does all come down to a moment.

It seems that the Force are on a roll, and Grisafe has been playing like every game is her last, and tonight, it actually will be. Because she has already announced her retirement, tonight’s headlines will be all about Grisafe, no matter what happens. She will either be hailed as the John Elway of women’s football, or failed as the Jim Kelly.

But what about the Dallas Diamonds? Yes, they are huge underdogs. They are out of the spotlight; darkhorses with an undefeated record. If they can avoid the mistakes the Boston Militia made when they fell to the Force two weeks ago (slow start on offense, inability to make in-game adjustments before halftime, giving up big plays on defense), I think their defense will make big plays and shock the women’s football world.

It’s a long shot. Yep.

Backseat Coach picks: Dallas Diamonds