In their second-to-last game of the 2015 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to Washington 38-24, sinking to a 6-9 record for the season. After the game, an Eagles fan, who clearly was upset about the team’s loss to a division rival, said on Facebook that the team played “like they were wearing tutus.” The fan didn’t mean that they were tough, agile, and played together in seamless harmony, either. The “tutu” comment was most likely a sexist or homophobic slur from someone who has no idea of the toughness required to wear a tutu in the first place. After hearing about the comment, the Pennsylvania Ballet had a badass comeback that’ll make any sexist rethink ballerinas and understand their grit.
“With all due respect to the Eagles, let’s take a minute to look at what our tutu wearing women have done this month:
By tomorrow afternoon, the ballerinas that wear tutus at Pennsylvania Ballet will have performed The Nutcracker 27 times in 21 days. Some of those women have performed the Snow scene and the Waltz of the Flowers without an understudy or second cast. No ‘second string’ to come in and spell them when they needed a break. When they have been sick they have come to the theater, put on make up and costume, smiled and performed. When they have felt an injury in the middle of a show there have been no injury timeouts. They have kept smiling, finished their job, bowed, left the stage, and then dealt with what hurts. Some of these tutu wearers have been tossed into a new position with only a moments notice. That’s like a cornerback being told at halftime that they’re going to play wide receiver for the second half, but they need to make sure that no one can tell they’ve never played wide receiver before. They have done all of this with such artistry and grace that audience after audience has clapped and cheered (no Boo Birds at the Academy) and the Philadelphia Inquirer has said this production looks ‘better than ever.’
So no, the Eagles did not play like they were ‘wearing tutus.’ If they had, Chip Kelly would still be a head coach and we’d all be looking forward to the playoffs.”
Happy New Year!
Many NFL greats have taken ballet lessons because the two activities use similar muscle groups. Plus, ballet is fantastic for improving balance and body control. Former NFL players Vance Johnson and Akili Smith say their ballet training helped improve their careers, and Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann was famous for showing his ballet moves on the field. The Dallas Cowboys even have ballet bars outside their locker room to aid with stretching and conditioning. So the next time the Eagles or the athletes on any other sports team are accused of playing like they’re “wearing tutus,” they should take it as a wonderful compliment.
(H/T The Daily Buzz)
