Krista Ford

Krista Ford
Born 1991 (age 23–24)
Residence Toronto, Ontario
Education Humber College, York University
Home town Toronto
Parent(s) Karla Ford and Doug Ford, Jr.
Relatives Rob Ford, Doug Ford Sr.

Krista Ford is a former captain of the Toronto Triumph, a team in the Lingerie Football League.[1][2] Ford, who was then a student at Humber College, was one of more than 100 women who tried out for the first team when the league's Toronto franchise first opened for business in 2011.

Lingerie Football League

Press coverage of Ford's tryout routinely mentioned that she was the niece of Toronto mayor Rob Ford and the daughter of city councilor Doug Ford.[3] According to technology journalist Patrick Seitz the league lacked stars in its early seasons, so the limited press coverage the league received treated it solely as a "peep show". He asserted that Ford and Angela Rypien, the daughter of former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, were two potential stars the league could offer in its 2011 season — to counter the peep-show coverage.

Team management chose Ford as the team's first captain.[4] She also served as the team's marketing manager, responsible for seeking sponsorships.

The team did not perform well when it started to compete with more experienced teams in the league. Players voiced concern that they had been issued unsafe equipment, and that the most senior members of the team's coaching staff lacked the experience to train them to compete safely.

Following its loss in its first non-exhibition game the team's management fired the one member of the coaching staff who was experienced, who team members felt had the experience to serve as head coach, and four of her fellow team members.

In response Ford and 15 remaining team members resigned.[5][6] The Torontoist quoted Ford's announcement of her resignation from her Facebook page, where she quoted Malcolm X, "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." to explain her stand on principle.[7] The Toronto Star interviewed the founder of the Lingerie Football League about Ford's resignation, who claimed he had spoken with Ford's uncle, Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, who agreed with him that his niece's resignation was a mistake.

An editorial in The Manitoban cited Ford's safety concerns while arguing against allowing the league to base a franchise in Winnipeg's MTS Centre.[8]

Although seasons tickets had already gone on sale in March 2012 the league cancelled the 2012 season in April 2012.[9] CTV News cited Ford's resignation as a factor when explaining the cancellation of the season; however, the Triumph were not included in the cancellation, which included only the U.S.-based teams.

Post-football

On August 29, 2012, Ford stirred controversy through a tweet she sent, an hour after Toronto Police had advised women of a recent outbreak of sexual assaults.[10] Ford's tweet said "Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don't dress like a whore." Katherine Dunn, in her coverage in The Toronto Star, pointed out that Toronto Police consider mace a "prohibited and restricted weapon".[11][12]

Several press reports compared Ford's comment to those of Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto area police officer, whose widely criticized safety suggestion to college students was “women should avoid dressing like sluts not to be victimized”, triggered the worldwide "slutwalk" phenomenon.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Amy Dempsey (2011-04-30). "Mayor’s niece makes first cut in Lingerie Football League". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2012-04-22. Krista Ford, the bench-pressing daughter of Councillor Doug and niece of Mayor Rob, was one of 40 women who made the first cut after an intense three-hour tryout. mirror
  2. ↑ Terry Davidson (2011-04-27). "Mayor's niece trying out for lingerie football". The Toronto Sun (Toronto ON). Retrieved 15 May 2011. ‘I’ve always wanted to get involved in (contact football),’ said Krista, who’s played touch football for years, and was instrumental in forming her high school’s flag football team. ‘This was a great opportunity to play for the LFL.’ mirror
  3. ↑ Patrick Seitz (2011-07-30). "Lingerie Football League needs stars". Tech-media-tainment. Retrieved 2012-04-22. For season three, the LFL has two stars in the making: Seattle Mist quarterback Angela Rypien, the daughter of Super Bowl MVP quarterback Mark Rypien, and Toronto Triumph linebacker Krista Ford, niece of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and daughter of City Councillor Doug Ford. They’re relatives of sports and political figures, so that gives news writers a hook to cover the games. So far, the LFL has gotten scant coverage from the mainstream media, which treats it like a peep show. Adding stars can only help the fledgling league. mirror
  4. ↑ Don Peat (2011-07-06). "Krista Ford named to captain Toronto's Lingerie Football League team". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2012-04-22. Along with training to ensure she’s one of the 16 players that get to hit the field for the first home game, Ford is keeping busy as the team’s market manager securing sponsorships and partnerships. mirror
  5. ↑ Anita Li (2011-10-19). "Krista Ford quits lingerie football". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2012-04-22. After a crushing 48-14 loss to the Tampa Breeze in its first official game last month, the Triumph released four players and its defensive coach, prompting Ford and other members to quit in protest. The Toronto team has played only one game so far. mirror
  6. ↑ Anita Li (2011-10-23). "20 leave Toronto lingerie football team in dispute over safety, coaching". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2012-04-22. Ford said head coach Don Marchione ignored requests to improve the equipment: “What I got was a shrug from my head coach. You know, it is what it is.” mirror
  7. ↑ Krista Ford (2011-10-20). "Duly Quoted: Krista Ford". Torontoist. Retrieved 2012-04-22. Hey everyone! I am really sad to let you all know that I have left the Toronto Triumph, along with many of my teammates. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make thus far, however, I had to stand up for what I felt was right. Unfortunately, it cost me the greatest sport in the world. mirror
  8. ↑ "Lingerie not needed for women’s football". The Manitoban. 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-04-23. The Triumph, captained by Krista Ford, niece of Toronto mayor Rob Ford, began their four-game season in September. A month later, 16 of its 26 players, including Ford, quit the team citing a lack of safety, professional coaching and sufficient equipment. mirror
  9. ↑ "Lingerie Football League cancels season". CTV News. 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2012-04-23. The league made news in Toronto when the Toronto Triumph briefly recruited Mayor Rob Ford's niece Krista Ford for its squad last year. However she quit after one game, apparently in protest against several teammates being cut. mirror
  10. ↑ "Krista Ford under fire after "don't dress like a whore" Tweet". 680 News. 2012-08-30. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30. Krista Ford, daughter of Councillor Doug Ford and niece of Mayor Rob Ford, is coming under fire after a Tweet offering advice to women on how to avoid sexual assault.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Katherine Dunn (2012-08-29). "Krista Ford’s advice after sex assaults news conference: ‘Don’t dress like a whore’". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Toronto mayor's niece advises women 'don't dress like a whore'". CBC News. 2012-08-30. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2012-08-30. A similar comment from a Toronto police officer led to the creation of the Slut Walk, which has spread to cities across North America and Europe.

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