Women Are Football Fans Too!

I like sports. Nay, I  love them. I have a problem when people make claims that I don’t know anything about them or know what I am talking about. That just because I couldn’t care less about the Super Bowl, that means that I am not really a fan. So let’s break my fandom down.

Let me also preface this with the sentiment that this article didn’t come out of thin air. I had seen a post titled “Ten reasons men are better than women,” from a blog titled: Guy Talk 4.0. As I am a guilty for inducing rage in myself, I read it. It was worse than I thought. I took offense to all of the post, but I am focusing on the sports aspect at this time. Then as I was looking through the comments, I became even more upset with all the comments of guys basically dude bro-ing each other and giving themselves internet high fives for their apparent wit. Suffice to say I wasn’t happy.

So here it goes, I am a sports fan, specifically I love college football, though I do have a place in my heart for professional. Why might I have developed this? Well, I am from Texas, where football is supreme. I also attended a Big 12 University (now more like Big 10), that many of my family members attended, my father, cousins, and many more family friends. I was taught the game early on; in fact can you say that your father quizzed you on the rules of the game? When I was 12, I even tried out to be captain of my pep-squad, I had to take a test on the rules of the game. Why? You can’t lead cheers if you don’t know what is going on. This is Texas, where football is religion. Where parents watch the games and make comments like “If that kid goes to the right school and camps, he could be drafted to the NFL.” Where we all know the game and like to think we can spot the talent.

I attended my first football game at the ripe age of 3 months. Yes, that is right, 3 months. My parents were fun like that. My family has had season tickets to the university games since my father graduated from that school in 1978. We are serious season ticket holders,  aka we even have a traveling bbq pit reserved for tailgating. I still have my own ticket even after graduating and we add more people who want in. In fact, my parents don’t visit me at my new school, they say “We will see you in (insert name of city here) at the game, you are coming, right?” Yes, I am expected to drive to that city for games, because that is the closest my family will travel to where I live now, combining the game and a family visit. Most family memories are at sports events, it’s the time we spend  together the most.

Suffice to say I know my sports and don’t like it when people undermine my intelligence by saying I don’t. I think that it is funny when people say that women can’t be fans, just because they are girls, that they are just jumping on the bandwagon. Um no, I will be a die-hard fan of these teams till I die. I won’t change and you can’t make me. I will wear the pink jersey if I want to, and you can’t stop me. I will cheer louder, have the best tailgate and you can’t stop me.

So yes, the Super Bowl is a huge event in the football season, but let’s be honest, just because I don’t want to watch it doesn’t give people the right to undermine my fandom.  It means that I am upset my team didn’t make it and that I don’t care about these two. It means that I may not like these teams, and don’t want to cheer for them. Can I also be honest and say that the commercials are what little interest I have in the game? I am DVR-ing  just to fast-forward through the game so I can watch the commercials.

So yes I am a woman, yes I am a fan, but I don’t have to watch the Super Bowl.

Image Credit by jeltovski on Morguefile