'Pretty. Strong': Female football players say they love their skimpy uniforms

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Female footballers want skimpier uniforms?

In the Zone: Female football players and stars of new show 'Pretty.Strong' Yashi Rice and Alli Alberts talk playing tackle football in bikini bottoms

NEW YORK – Football players are typically ready to rumble, but only a few can rock a bikini while scoring a touchdown. Yashi Rice and Alli Alberts are members of the Chicago Bliss in the Legends Football League, and they're also stars of Oxygen’s new series about the league: "Pretty. Strong." They talked to FOX411 about their interesting jobs, and why showing so much skin on the field is no big deal.

FOX411: You’re talented athletes. How do you reconcile training your bums off and then having to put on a bikini? Tom Brady isn’t doing that.

Yashi Rice: I know for myself I don’t mind it. I come from a track and field background, and when I ran track and field you wore next to nothing, too, so I definitely don’t mind it. I actually enjoy it because we can embrace being strong and being feminine and play a masculine sport but feeling beautiful while I’m doing it. I enjoy it.

Alli Alberts: I played volleyball and track, too, so I always wore a little spandex, and I always wanted them to be smaller and tighter, and more of my abs showing. So when I saw the uniform I was like, ‘Sweet, my abs are out!’ It was awesome and it’s kind of celebrates a women’s athletic build, which hasn’t been celebrated before, so I actually like that aspect.

FOX411: Now let’s get into function versus fashion. Turf hurts. You are wearing padding and helmets but your skin is totally exposed. What’s up with that?

Rice: It’s a huge conversation starter. Like if you’re on a date and they’re like, ‘How’d you get that?’ And you say, ‘It’s from football.’ They’re like, ‘Cool.’

Alberts: We wear our turf burns like battle scars. I kind of love it. Maybe I just like to be scarred.

FOX411: What is the reaction when people learn you’re playing football?

Rice: I don’t tell guys when I first meet them that I play football because if you’re not familiar with the sport you may not understand why we wear what you wear.

FOX411: What separates you from the lingerie football league?

Rice: I started in 2010, and we were the lingerie football league, and in those days it really was models playing football in lingerie. It was very early. It was developing into what it is today. The level of competition is much higher.

FOX411: Do you think there will ever come a day when women’s football will viewed equally to men’s?

Alberts: I would love it to. To have the fan base and to have all of those people behind us the way everyone is behind the NFL and women have a lot of passion. We put a lot of passion into the plays. You watch us play and it’s like, ‘Wow, those girls are really going at it.’

FOX411: What’s the worst injury you’ve endured so far?

Alberts: I had a pretty major concussion the first game. Knocked out cold. Don’t remember the second half. I was sitting on the bench like, ‘Why am I here? Why am I wearing this uniform?’

"Pretty. Strong" airs Tuesday, October 6 on Oxygen.