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GIRL POWER
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LIKE A GIRL
Verte Chiropractic’s Dr. Taylor Wheaton isn’t just a chiropractor — she also plays for the Atlanta Empire in a women’s tackle football league.
DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR
You might know Dr. Taylor Wheaton as one of the chiropractors at Verte Chiropractic in the Village Center.
What you probably don’t know is that on weekends, Wheaton trades her white coat for active gear and a football.
That’s because Wheaton is also a professional football player for the Atlanta Empire, part of the Extreme Football League — a women’s tackle football league.
“I ‘break’ people on weekends and fix them during the week,” Wheaton says jokingly.
ROAD TO FOOTBALL
Wheaton considers herself very much a “girly girl,” but growing up, she was one of the boys.
“I love fashion, I’m a super girly girl, but I grew up in a neighborhood with the guys and was always the girl out there playing basketball and football with them,” she says. “I always played basketball growing up … and pretty much focused on that sport from a kid to high school to walking on the team at college. I was on the practice squad, but it was still like my sorority. I really liked it.”
Wheaton always has had a large streak of athleticism. She played powder puff football in high school and even gave up her varsity year of playing basketball so she could coach the Special Olympics basketball team.
She credits her father with being the one to help spark her love for football. A former player for the Denver Broncos, he was the one who first taught her how to throw a football when she was in third grade.
But Wheaton didn’t want to just play flag football or powder puff. She loved the thrill of full-on tackle football. That’s when she discovered the X League — formerly known as the Legends Football League — a decade ago.
“I found out about the LFL and was like,’ Cool, it’s these gorgeous la-
Danielle Hendrix Dr. Taylor Wheaton works as a chiropractor Mondays through Thursdays, and on weekends, she will head to Atlanta to practice with her team.
Sean Abou-Assi To try out for the Atlanta Empire, Dr. Taylor Wheaton had her husband, Dr. James Baily, run some routes with her. She also completed drills.
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dies playing this badass sport,’” she says. “I was like, ‘That’s everything I’ve always admired and wanted to be.’”
Wheaton tried out for quarterback in the LFL 10 years ago but unfortunately broke her arm on the first day. Between then and 2020, she redirected her focus toward chiropractic school, opening her practice and focusing on her career.
Last year, though, the LFL rebranded to the X League, and she saw an ad for the Atlanta Empire looking to recruit more women to play. It seemed like the stars aligned — until she realized she had missed tryouts. Wheaton reached out to the head coach, who asked her to send some film of her playing.
“I got my husband to run 100 routes, I did some ladder drills and everything, and sent him that just form my camera phone, and he invited me up,” she says. “(The coach) said, ‘I do think you have some potential. Let’s invite you to some camps and see how you do with the team.’ That’s what led me into getting rostered.”
THE EMPIRE
Wheaton officially became part of the Atlanta Empire in February 2020 and was excited to start the season. Then, COVID-19 hit.
It was tough to see the X League rebrand and then immediately get pummeled by COVID. However, everyone is hopeful games will resume in 2022.
Some things have changed with the X League’s rebrand, too. In the past, the LFL was known as the Lingerie Football League. In 2012, it rebranded to the Legends Football League, and athletes got to wear performance apparel. There is still an expectation for women involved to be fit, Wheaton says, but the X League is also about them being able to play a full-contact sport.
“It’s not flag football, it’s not touch football, it’s full-on contact,” she says. “I’ve suffered 10 stitches in my eye, I have some surgeries I have to go through for ligament damage and stuff. It’s rough. It’s a full-on sport. … You do have to maintain a good figure for it and be able to walk out onto the field and have that beautiful appeal but also be able to play like a boy, and that’s what I’ve always loved about it, too.”
There’s a lot more to the women’s football league than meets the eye, though. Wheaton and her teammates are advocates for women’s sports and getting them the attention they deserve.
“If there’s women’s sports in the area, get out and support them — go buy a ticket and watch them play so they can see that money and get that fame, as well,” she says. “We really want to give women’s sports the fair chance.”
Her favorite part of playing football, though, is the camaraderie between her and her teammates. Having a coach who believes in her and supportive teammates makes the experience even better.
“I looked up to this league so much,” she says. “I’ve made dear friends on the team; they’re all wonderful. There’s been some bumps and bruises and disappointments along the way but we’ve all made it through as a team together. We’re still working hard. Our coach’s big point is, ‘Yeah, be the first to knock a girl down, but also be the first to pick them right back up.’ We’re all super encouraging of each other. … It’s still nice to be able to play the sport we love with a good team and at a high level.”
— DR. TAYLOR WHEATON
Emory Rose Dr. Taylor Wheaton loves playing tackle football with her teammates.
DOUBLE LIFE
Despite flying to Atlanta on weekends for practices, Wheaton always is back in the office on Mondays with her scrubs and white coat — right back into her role as a chiropractor.
Wheaton’s goal always was to be a physical therapist, but after shadowing one years ago, she realized it wasn’t for her. It was her father who encouraged her to look into chiropractics. Wheaton was hooked.
“It was everything I wanted to do,” she says. “Then I had my first adjustment, and I was like, ‘Wow, that felt really good.’ It helped my sports performance.”
Wheaton attended the Florida Palmer College of Chiropractic from 2014 to 2017. There, she met her husband, Dr. James Baily, who co-owns Verte Chiropractic with her.
In 2018, the two were looking for space to open their own practice. That’s when they found their current space on Jake Street in the Village Center.
Even when Wheaton is not on the field, her athletic streak shines through in the form of helping youth athletes and all patients feel better through chiropractics.
“It’s really the fact that we help a lot of people,” Wheaton says. “That’s really the best thing.”
THE X LEAGUE
The Extreme Football League (X League) is a women’s tackle football league that plays games during the spring and summer months in arenas and stadiums. It was founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League before rebranding in 2013 as the Legends Football League. For more information, visit extfl.com or follow the league on Facebook at facebook. com/EXTFootball.
