To really want to see someone from the England Women's football/cricket team in Strictly

[AnyoneButLulu]

For years this has struck me as a brilliant idea. Has anyone else every been slightly obsessed by a great idea with loads of upsides which they have no power to implement?

Pro:
Female team sports players never have any money so they'll be delighted to do it
They'll be a good role model for the hundreds of thousands of little girls who watch Strictly
The BBC will have the world's easiest narrative to roll out yet again in "Jane spends her time running around in the mud in polyester shorts - see her get her hair and makeup done and waltz around in a frock LIKE A LADY"
Introducing us to some of the characters involved will help build audiences for its telly coverage

Antis
"They don't have the public profile" - I don't think thus is a problem actually, a good SCD cast always mixes known names with people who do have a legitimate claim to fame but are less well known to the SCD audience, and the latter are often the best contestants - just look at Alesha.
"Footballers can't take part in the autumn" but actually most of the England women do have day jobs, or you could cast retired players, or Hope Powell, who would be awesome.
The England football team were disappointing at the Olympics and abject in the Euros. Errrm, there you have me .

What do you reckon?

I think it's a great idea!!

"LIKE A LADY"

I would say that this is reason enough not to do it.

Another reason (As far as I can see) is that strictly tends to be full of end off life zelebs.

We would be much better having more women's sport on TV.
(from someone who was pissed off with the lack of coverage of the women's euro football final)

Well I grant you that the storyline that the Beeb would give her would be quite lazy and irritating, Boney, but from their point of view it's a Pro, because it makes their life easier.

I'm not saying that this should be instead of proper women's team sports coverage, au contraire, it's a synergistic way of increasing the audience for the sport itself - every sport, male and female, benefits from having a bit of soap opera attached to it, it's human nature.

And I'd defend the Strictly cast from accusations of Z-listiness, of course there have been some dodgy castings, but Denise Lewis, Martina Hingis, Jade Johnson and Victoria Pendleton (sticking to sports women) were really solid achievers in their fields.

would you rather be remembered for winning the
heptathlon Olympic gold
Major Tennis finals (5 grand slam finals)
Silver long jump
Olympic cycling track golds

Or

wearing a pretty (almost) dress on a TV show?

Both would be nice, especially if I got a big cheque and had fun doing the sancing. Denise Lewis didn't obliterate her other achievements by doing a killer foxtrot.