As the majority owner and general manager for the Chicago Force, Linda Bache thinks, talks, walks and dissects football non-stop. It's her never-ending profession, and her passion.
"I'd love it more if I was still playing," Bache said. "The payoff for all the hard work is getting to play and go live."
But injuries, with a helping hand from Father Time, have pushed Bache to the sidelines.
So, Bache is watching, cheering and even videotaping from the sidelines at every Force game.
Her Force field is a 24/7 job. Her car, for instance, is a mobile storage locker filled with helmets, cleats, balls, uniforms and more. When Windy City Times met with Bache for this story, her day included a trip to the AthletiCo rehabilitation facility in Andersonville, where she checked in on an injured player. She then drove to the bank to deposit team-related funds, and then went to her chiropractorneeded from injuries she enduring while playing.
Watching the Force since retiring after the 2008 season has been "excruciating," she said. "Sure, it's gotten easier, but I still miss it."
Bache last wore the Force uniform in the team's championship game loss in 2008.
"Winning that game would have been the perfect storybook ending, but it didn't happen and, yes, the heartache is still there," she said.
So she lives through the current crop of Force players.
"I like game days and watching the players develop. I really enjoy seeing them blossom."
In fact, the whole team has grown immensely since the 2003 season, a time when players often had to shine their car lights on their practice field.
"Back then, we'd do anything to play," Bache said. "I never imagined we'd get to this point where we are today with the Chicago Force and women's football as a whole. Yes, we've come a long way, and the ( on-field ) product has really gotten better.
"I want to see women's football continue to grow and expand, and I want to see women's football on television. I think that's the next step for this sport. That will make it all worthwhile."
THE STATS
Name: Linda Bache
Age: 48
Neighborhood: Rogers Park
Profession: Majority owner and general manager of the Chicago Force, played safety for the team's first six seasons
Hobbies: Sports, reading, crossword puzzles, traveling particularly internationally, and real estate
Relationship status: Dating Yvette Holt for almost eight years
Pets: A dog, Blaze, a 13-year-old Italian greyhound
Sporting blood: Played softball at Michigan State University. Played volleyball, basketball and softball in high school
Photos by Ross Forman and courtesy of Bache