Being A Female Fan
Hi, I’m Sonja. I’m married with 3 girls, I’m a pediatric nurse practitioner, and I LOVE sports. I LOVE them.
But, being a female fan can sometimes be a little harder than just a “regular guy” fan. Just a little. I mean, as soon as a game comes on, people expect me to say something about how cute the pitcher is, or how tight football players pants are, or something like that. Not so much. I’m usually cheering because of a beautifully executed double play, or a really good defensive stand on 3rd down. And, yeah, I know what those are, and how they are important, and what a post route or and out route is. But sometimes, as a chick you have to prove yourself before you get credibility as a true fan.
Which is fine, but sometimes, it can get annoying. As I’m writing this, one my NFL Female sisters just tweeted that she was called a bandwagon fan who thinks all they players are “cute” Not Dayna…if you know her, she is a DIE HARD Seahawks fan. And she has been with her team and is super knowledgeable about football. But this is what we have to deal with as females. Now, I know, some guys do get called bandwagon fans (Especially you Heat fans, but that’s another topic for another day!) and yeah, you have to prove that you’re not, but that’s not all the time. People don’t automatically assume that about you, unless of course, you have a peripheral like for sports. People assume that about women.
Here in Detroit (and I’m sure in other markets), we’ve got the Fox Sports Detroit Girls, and they are 2 or 3 attractive younger ladies who remind you to come watch the games, etc. They wear their little Detroit sports gear and smile and pose for pictures. Most girls I know hate them because their significant other loves them. I hate them because they give us lady sports fans a bad name. They’re kind of ditzy, and some of the things that they are saying in the promos you KNOW they have no idea what they’re talking about. And that irks me. I get why they are there, but it still irks me.
When women call into the sports shows here, there are some that know exactly what they’re talking about. But they are few and far between. Most of the ones that call in, are stupid, and add absolutely nothing to the conversation, and become a joke for the rest of the show. Then, of course, the one that makes an intelligent point other callers want to know if that person is hot, or if she’s got a boyfriend. Such is life.
Overall, what I have learned as a female fan is that you need to prove yourself early. For example, when you watch football you have to start talking about blown coverage, missed routes or (in my case) your horrible center. When watching baseball, honestly, pick your stat. Batting average, strike outs, on base percentage, anything. BUT, if there is a no-hitter going on, DON’T SAY ANYTHING!!! (Yes, I’m superstitious, don’t judge.) You get my drift. Things like that usually impresses the guys and they leave you alone. And you ALWAYS need to do your research. Having smartphones makes it so much easier, because you can look up something pretty quickly. Because the last thing you want is as soon as you’ve gotten your credibility, it’s shot because you made some stupid comment.
When you do it right, being a female fan can be pretty awesome. I talked football at work with one guy for a while. He walked away, then came back a few minutes later and said, “I just talked football. Intelligently. With a woman.” I was pretty proud. Then, (something I will tell my girls) it’ll help get you a guy. It’s (partly) how I snagged my husband…I impressed him with my knowledge of a 6-4-3 double play. But I digress.
So, guys, next time you’re around a female fan, give her a break and grab a beer for her before the next play, she’d appreciate it.
