Powder-puff football games were a rite of passage for many high school girls. Practices would be had, plays would be made, uniforms would be purchased and the game would be played. For many young D-FW professionals, the tradition trickles into adulthood.
Erin Finegold adapted the time-honored tradition and launched a North Texas nonprofit, surrounding the concept. Blondes vs. Brunettes (BvB) Dallas is a powder-puff football game hosted for a day of fellowship and philanthropy, in an effort to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's disease research.
Finegold, who lives in Dallas, founded BvB Dallas in memory of her grandmother, who died of Alzheimer's, and in honor of her grandfather, who cared for his wife.
"We brought BvB to Dallas after hearing about it from a family friend who saw the game in Houston and Washington D.C.," Finegold said. "It's such a no-brainer; women playing football, especially in Texas. And each year it just continues to grow."
This year marks BvB Dallas' eighth season. More than 150 young professionals have rallied together this year in preparation for the big event Aug. 8 at the historic Cotton Bowl. In powder-puff fashion, women will play and men will coach. A donation of $25 or more will get you into the stadium for the big showdown and an invitation to stay for the after-party.
So how do the teams get assembled? The name gives it away of course: blondes on one team and brunettes on another. And each team member can designate a person who's been affected by Alzheimer's to honor.
Aside from hair color, there is another large requirement for taking the field on game day: Each player and coach must raise at least $1,000 each in order to play. Fundraising efforts will culminate at the end of the summer. In addition to the financial commitment, there are practices every week in preparation of the grand finale on game day.
To date, BvB Dallas has raised more than $2 million in seven years. This season, the organization set a goal to raise $600,000.
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"Hitting the two-million dollar mark this year is a huge milestone for our organization," Finegold said. "We started out with a $20,000 goal in our first summer on Griggs Field in Uptown, and now we're striving to hit over half a million in one summer. It shows the amount of dedication and passion our participants have for the cause and for each other."
For this year's game, BvB Dallas has added two new beneficiaries for the 2015 season: the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas and Baylor AT&T Memory Center.
To learn more about the organization and game day, visit bvbdallas.org.
Kimber Westphall is a Dallas-based freelancer writer.
