Melissa, first we want to thank you for taking time out to chat with us here at JBS.  We are big fans of thefootballgirl.com.

JBS: Please tell the readers of JBS about your website such as when you started it, the main objectives you cover, and what inspired you to start it.

Melissa: The website is thefootballgirl.com.  I launched it about a month ago and it was in the works for about a year… as you know being my good friend.  I feel the amount of women who know football has grown exponentially.  There isn’t really any kind of outlet for them in terms of a site that caters to them and has that community feel and pop culture side they may like.  And also includes news, fantasy tips, and player interviews so I wanted to give them a cornucopia of information.

JBS: How have people responded to having a woman on the scene?

Melissa: So far it has been great.  I have landed interviews with Barry Sanders, Visanthe Shiancoe, and others.  It has been great with teams.  I am getting involved with community relations ventures with teams.  I may have had an advantage because of pre-existing relationships by working with ESPN.  So far they are very supportive.

JBS: Do you have any publications that our readers can purchase?

Melissa: At this point we are just offering your basic fantasy tips.  At the start of the week you can see who is injured and who is replacing them and worth picking up.  I also link to other fantasy gurus out there.  We do sell shoes on the website.  We are selling women’s apparel and it is the fastest growing sector of any money making venture in the NFL in terms of growth so we sell NFL Shop Women’s apparel.  It is designed by Melissa Milano.

JBS: Who has been the most interesting interview you have done so far?

Melissa: Definitely Barry Sanders.  First of all he is just a surprisingly great guy.  He is just as humble now as he was when he was playing.  He is not as much of an observer of the current game but has done interesting things with his post playing career.  He was very honest with me about what led him to retirement and offered a bit of new information that he thought of retiring a couple of years before he did.  That was very cool to hear him tell that to me.

JBS: What makes you so passionate about the game of football?

Melissa: Growing up in San Francisco I became a fan at a young age because of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young and on and on.  I grew up in the pre-salary cap era and watched the dynasty.  I am a fan of all sports but there is a reason the NFL blows the others out of the water.  It is a much more exciting and complex sport to watch.

JBS: There has only ever been one female NFL scout ever.  Have you ever thought about getting in to scouting?

Melissa: Me personally I could never fancy being a scout but I wanted to be the first female official at one point.  I was getting a tour of the NFL offices with Mike Pereira in New York and seeing about the expensive training to go through it.  In terms of scouting I don’t know any females that have talked about it and I don’t know if I could envision myself doing that.  There is a NBA scout who was female and she brings a different perspective to players.  In judging the recent history of crime in the NFL I think it could be useful.  I am going to look for that female NFL scout now.

JBS: Who has been the biggest influence in your professional career so far?

Melissa: I would say several people have influenced me like an Andrea Cramer type who is the hardest working person in professional football.  Specific to my career path that the group who runs “Outside The Lines was the most influential because they brought me in to television.

JBS: Could you give our readers a peak at some of the new things coming to thefootballgirl.com?

Melissa: We are going to have player interviews galore and they will all be presented in a profile and off the cuff type of manor.  We are adding contributors with many of them females.  They will all have specified roles.  We are adding a newsletter and expanding a forum we have to encourage women and men to talk to each other and give each other fantasy tips.

QUICK HITS

Here is where we get to know the media outside of the game of football.  Here is what Melissa had to say.

JBS: What is your favorite movie?

Melissa: To Kill A Mockingbird.  Before I wanted to work in the NFL I wanted to be Attica Finch.

JBS: What is your favorite book?

Melissa: To Kill A Mockingbird.  I hate to be boring but it is.  It goes hand in hand.  I can name a few books that would give my away my political views.

JBS: Who is your hero?

Melissa: My sports hero is probably Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants but my life hero lately just because of a lot of things I read would be FDR.

JBS: What is your favorite food?

Melissa: I am a vegetarian.  I enjoy a good plate of nachos on a Sunday watching football.

JBS: What is your favorite TV show?

Melissa: 24.  I have about 24 favorite shows.  If you would like to add my dog is named Jeff Bauer the main character in 24.

JBS: What is your favorite leisure activity?

Melissa: Working out, doing the Sunday Times Crossword, and doing karaoke, and drinking a bottle of wine as well.

JBS: What is your favorite pro and college team?

Melissa: I went to Berkeley so Cal Bears and the 49ers for professional.  Outside of football I like the San Francisco Giants, I like the San Jose Sharks a little bit, the Warriors are up and down for me but I am a football fan first and foremost.  If any of those teams are remotely interesting I will follow them.

JBS: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Melissa!

Melissa: I want people to come to the site and we are still in our beginning stages and I want reader feedback so lets us know what you like and don’t like.  I want to make sure guys check out the site too so I hope JBS readers come check us out.  You won’t find the types of interviews we do on other sites.  Thank you for having me!

For those who would like to visit her website you can click HERE!