Eight-year-old Elena Easley will be the first to tell you she’s crazy about football.

After seeing Taylor Swift attending Kansas City Chiefs football games, she adopted the franchise as her favorite team.

“I love football because I just like having fun with it,” Elena declares. “I would really like to play football when I grow up or maybe any type of sports like soccer or basketball.”

That love for the Cambridge second grader includes playing catch with her family or pickup games with other kids.

“Elena has been playing football at recess with boys for a while now,” her mom, Stephanie Easley, explains.

But Elena says that recently, a boy at school told her there’s no room in football for boys.

“She said she had a really rough day,” Easley says. “Talking about how there’s no professional women, you can’t do anything with it, you never see it on TV, so girls can’t play.”

So, mom and daughter got on social media to talk about it.  

“Today, my baby was told something that broke her heart,” Easley posted.

“Uh, girls can’t play football,” Elena added. “Why did that hurt you?” her mother responded.

“Because I love football,” Elena said.

Their post went viral, with more than 2 million views — including by several professional athletes with the Women’s National Football Conference.  

“I was happy, excited, and I really liked that people were supporting me,” Elena says.

She and her mom soon learned this is more than a story about football.

It’s about empowerment and finding mentors who hold you up.

“I clicked on the video, and it made me so emotional. I showed it to my best friend,” recalls Nana Olavuo, a linebacker with the Kansas City Glory.

Olavuo says she was tagged on Elena’s post— and was soon following her.

“Told her a little about myself, and that I was also told that as a young kid,” she notes. “But I still started playing football and went with it.”

A powerful lesson indeed.  

“At least now there are role models to look up to, and there are women playing football out there,” Easley declares. “That was pretty exciting for her to see.”

Elena and her mom are planning to drive to Kansas City to see the Glory in action on Saturday.

The team even has free tickets for them to see the game.

A pretty simple formula, actually: gridiron dreams equal hope.  

All of this is making Elena a believer.

“So, if other girls like football, or anything in sports, you can try to make it happen,” she declares.