The scoreboard was not kind. Thirty-six to zero is a blowout by any measure — the kind of final score that sends most teams into a quiet, defeated offseason. But the Golden State Storm, Oakland's new professional women's tackle football team, walked off that field and apparently started counting the days until they could get hit again.

That tells you something.

The Storm's roster reads like a LinkedIn fever dream: a scientist, a security director, a woman who commutes so far she probably qualifies for her own zip code. These aren't college prospects chasing a dream of going pro. These are grown adults with careers, responsibilities, and fully developed prefrontal cortexes — who still choose to strap on pads and collide with other human beings at full speed on weekends.

Why? Because, as more than one player has put it, "the physicality is intoxicating."

Honestly? Respect.

Women's tackle football doesn't get the coverage it deserves, and the Bay Area — a region that will fill a stadium for a tech conference keynote but yawn at genuine athletic grit — should be paying closer attention. This isn't a novelty act. These are serious athletes competing in a serious sport, and the Storm are doing it without the infrastructure, the sponsorships, or the media machine that props up their male counterparts.

A 36-0 debut loss would end a lot of ventures. Instead, the Storm seem energized. That's the kind of organizational culture that actually builds something over time — the willingness to absorb a beating and show up anyway.

San Francisco and Oakland have a long history of supporting the underdog when given half a chance. The Golden State Storm deserves that chance. Go find their schedule. Go watch them play. Bring someone who thinks women's football isn't a real thing.

The scoreboard will sort itself out. The attitude is already there.