Preseason is underway and there is a football fan who feels the anticipation building as the official start of the NFL season draws near. This fan dreams of Sundays (and some Thursdays and Monday nights) in front of the tv for hours on end, screaming at bad calls and cheering a beloved team.
That football fan is me.
Yes, I’m a bit of a football fan. Okay…a BIG fan…which is why I’m a bit perplexed as to why I haven’t played Fantasy Football before this year or done the necessary research for Rameer’s upcoming draft on Facebook. You’d think I was one of those chicks who “pretends” to be a fan to fit in with the guys.
I was telling a friend last week that I needed to get up on my stats if I wanted to have a good team for Fantasy Football, and she said, “so…you really like football…like that?”
Uh…have we met?
I always talk about teams, players, games, scores, injuries, trades…you name it. So how could I be “faking it?” It’s not like I’m having parties, serving up wings and beer so I can have people in my apartment. I don’t fake an interest to bond with a boo or make male friends. There are some female fans out there who feel the same adrenaline rush that any man feels that comes from watching our favorite quarterback throw a game-winning pass. As a woman who grew up playing sports, I’m very competitive – and football is probably America’s most competitive game with the most passionate of fans. And I’m no exception.
I’m perfectly content watching a game all by myself. It’s probably actually better that way…since I tend to yell at the tv. I can be a little obsessive...crazy…maybe even a little un-ladylike. I don’t cuss much, but if the ref makes a bad call…I can spew some pretty colorful language. It’s probably good that my nephews watch with me when I’m visiting them, because they keep my mouth in check...for the most part ;)
I’m not sure the female fan is as “valued” as the male fan is. Marketing during the season is clearly geared more towards men than women – and I get that. It’s a male populated sport. But 66% more women watched the 2007 Super Bowl than the Academy Awards. That's gotta tell you something.
Even in conversations with male co-workers, I used to get dismissed when I offered my two cents about the previous night’s game…until I started waxing their asses in our weekly football pool. It shouldn’t take them losing hundreds of dollars to me to realize I might actually know what I’m talking about. And some of them just assume someone is “helping me win.” Whatever dude. You got beat by a girl.
If you’re a woman reading this and you don’t watch or are not a football fan, you should be :-) If you need some reasons why you should love football, then let me offer up a few:
1. The sheer athleticism of the sport. Football is fast paced, exciting and generally very unpredictable from one half to the next. On any given Sunday, anyone can win.
2. Have you seen the men? They're not just handsome in the face, but they have the cutest booties ever in those tight pants. I'm not saying you have to make football sexual in order to enjoy it, but hey...if it gets you to sit down and watch, you might actually learn the sport while checking out the muscled up tight ends :-)
3. Nothing beats the exhilaration of actually BEING at the game with a bunch of fanatical fans bonded by the love of their favorite team. Showing team spirit and having a common enemy to root against is a riveting thriller involving real life heroes and villains who grab the ball for dear life.
4. Football is a REAL sport that doesn't wuss out at the slightest hint of inclement weather. These warriors play through it all - rain, sleet, snow...you name it. The muscular masses battle it out like gladiators, and I find that human aspiration of winning to be electrifying...inspiring even.
5. And lastly - and maybe the most convincing for some of you - men LOVE women who love football. That's assuming the man loves football too.There's nothing sexier than cozying up to a man on a cool, fall Sunday afternoon while watching the game (in silence) and not asking him to change the channel :-)
So, with that said...are you ready for some football?
-b
