From the 5 Towns Jewish Times:
One might consider it as three years in the making, or three months, but this past Sunday kicked off the season opener for the Mesivta Football League (MFL). The league, a high-school-level interschool flag football competition, is the brainchild of Richard Altabe, principal of Yeshivat Shaare Torah of Flatbush, and Rabbi Yossi Bennett, assistant menahel/assistant principal of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov.
“Together with Rabbi Yaffe, our menahel, I had been working on developing a high-school flag football league for close to three years,” commented Rabbi Bennett. “I had thought to latch on to one of the adult leagues already in existence, but nothing ever panned out. When Mr. Altabe approached us just over two months ago about a starting our own league, I was ecstatic.”
Flag football has become an increasingly popular sport, specifically among yeshivos. In Eretz Yisrael, the Kraft Flag Football League is widely popular, and draws over 60 teams from a wide variety of yeshivos and other post-high-school institutions in two separate divisions. The majority of post-high-school yeshivos, which many local graduates attend, field teams in the Kraft League.
“We thought it was obvious,” commented Mr. Altabe. “If the majority, if not all, of our talmidim will be playing flag football in Eretz Yisrael after they graduate, it was a no-brainer that a high-school league would be popular.”
The goal of this groundbreaking program is to provide a healthy, kosher outlet for high-school boys, while maintaining the competitiveness, intensity, and professionalism of an official league. The league is being established with a Torah hashkafah about sports. With that being the case, it goes without saying that proper sportsmanship and menchlechkeit is a top priority. Head coverings must be worn during games, and no female fans are permitted at the games to ensure the focus on a healthy athletic outlet.
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NO GIRLS AT THE GAMES!!!! Playing sports gives a release to pent up sexual energy. Having girls at the games defeats that purpose.
[No comment on the other parts of the article....:-)]
