Lingerie Football: Meet America’s Sweethearts [SLIDESHOW]

Lingerie Football is sweeping the nation.

The Lingerie Football League (LFL) has become the Ultimate Fan-Driven Live Sports Phenomenon - Blending Action, Impact and Beauty.

But what is it?

Created in 2009, the LFL is a 7-on-7 all-female American football league. They play full-tackle football.

The idea spawned from the Lingerie Bowl, which is a pay-per-view program that airs directly opposite the Super Bowl Halftime Show each year.

The Lingerie Bowl is also a full-contact game of 7-on-7 female football players that has attracted millions of viewers every season, after first airing in 2004.

One of the biggest draws for fans to the game is probably the attire of the players. LFL teams wear bras and panties as their uniforms, along with protective padding and clear plastic helmets.

But these scantily clad women are no joke.

I think it is eye candy for one, but it is also football, and it is real, Kaley Tuning, a wide receiver with the Miami Caliente, said in a Reuters interview in 2009.

There were tryouts for the team, and if you couldn't play, you didn't make the cut. I've seen people say it is a joke and it is degrading, and it makes me mad. We are real athletes: For them to not take us seriously, well, I say, wait till you see us play.

MTV2's LFL Friday Night Football is airing games every Friday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time this season.

The conference finals begin on Jan. 28, and the season culminates with the Lingerie Bowl in Las Vegas on Feb. 5.

The LFL includes 10 franchise teams.

These teams are made up of the [country's] hottest and most athletic women, according to the LFL Facebook page.

At the Chicago tryouts last March, 200 women turned out to show the coaches what they had, according to The Blaze.

As for the hopeful players' responses to the sexy outfits they will have to wear if chosen?

I just appreciate playing football, I don't care what they put me in, said one woman.

The LFL is set to expand to other countries around the world. It will launch in Canada with the first Lingerie Bowl in November 2012. Then it will start in Australia in 2013 and Europe in 2014.