Whenever I mention my sports site to a non-familial lady, one of three things happen:
1. She simply says "that's cool" and moves on to someone with far less testosterone;
2. She asks me about my work, but it comes from more of a cynical and/or bitter tone where she questions and coyly condemns the public obsession with these games; or
3. She begins to pick my brain about specifics; the process in developing content, which athletes & teams have I covered, how hot is Tom Brady (which some guys have certainly joked about) and so on.
When the third occurrence happens, it's as if the stars aligned, the heavens opened up (if you believe in them) and the lemonade iced tea I'm consuming tastes crisper with every sip. Well, maybe that's a stretch, but there's a genuine surprise and happiness as sometimes, sports can appear as man's last bastion of being... well, men.
For whatever reasons, there have rarely been times where a girl or woman that is not as savvy about these games as many males would ask how could they become ingrained into sports culture without feeling pandered to because of their gender. So when a great post from a guest writer for Hardwood Paroxysm, Sarah Tolcser, discussed how the NBA is missing a golden opportunity to market to women - 40% of its audience - immediately, I began to think of those moments.
There's a major difference in trying to catch onto sports as a child or teenager and catching onto them as an adult. In our youth, our identities and future passions are molded early as we have a bit more energy & focus with far less grown-up distractions such as trying to make a living. Yet, as we grow older and take on more long-term commitments, it's a chore for many people to take on such interest in something like sports because to truly understand it, people must invest some time to learn the basics while keeping an eye on current happenings.
For plenty of people, if you missed the boat, it's not going to come back for you. If you're a woman, however, you're not expected to like sports with as much fervor as men unless you're playing them. In fact, even other ladies will look at you with some derision at times because you want to be a true fan for more than appeasing your significant other.
There is a very good chance that women who are reading this built their sports appreciation through their families; notably fathers, brothers, and uncles. That part is not too different from men, however, the fact that the games viewed were dominated by men - women's sports outside of tennis didn't have the financial and broadcasting backing truly until the 1990s - makes the concept of female sports fans seem far-fetched... yet, there are probably a few of you who are not as savvy as you wish to be.
I've read countless articles from female bloggers over the years that discussed a lack of connection for female fans. They lament how sports organizations have been pandering to them by selling pink-colored merchandise instead of the original team colors. As Sarah discussed in her article, they use their sexuality to keep the guy's attention on the court with gyrating (but professional and trained) dancers who show about as much skin as the players… or less. Most of all, there’s not much to keep the female interested or at least involved into the non-game festivities.
So, the point of this piece was to give advice, right? The truth is that not every male has sports in his DNA and not every woman wants to spend her time watching American Idol. Yet, for those ladies out there who want to become smarter fans, here are a few basic things you might want to try:
The first thing you should do - and this goes for everyone regardless of sex - is to pick up the basics of a sport or two you have a particular interest in. While it's pretty easy to see what the objectives are for a game - place the basketball in the hoop or try to hit the ball far away from the opponent - sometimes, even us uber-savvy fans and media consult the rulebook once in a while because a rare play confounded us beyond belief. Many of you probably know a lot more than you may think; however, each player on a team has a specific function away from the object of play that helps facilitate what that team is trying to do.
Another reason sports may intimidate some women to watch games has less to do with the action itself, but more with the uber-levels of analysis heaped on to the games before, during and afterwards. In the 24/7 news cycle we have become accustomed to over the past fifteen or so years, it may appear that true sports fans could be akin to becoming political junkies; frothing at the mouth for controversy, anticipating what the screaming talking heads are going to say and seeking out anything that may support their point of view without equal consideration for a counterpoint. Though there are thousands of reputable forums and millions of fans that do not succumb to the lowest common denominator, they tend to not have the size and scope of more mainstream outfits like local newspapers & radio stations and omnipresent outlets like ESPN & FOX Sports.
For that reason, the second thing you should consider is watching a few games without taking in the noise. Stay away from reading, watching, or listening to any pre-game, halftime, or post-game chatter. Simply, you'll drive yourself insane wondering what the hell is Skip Bayless talking about. In fact, millions of people do every weekday. The presence of talking heads may help add insights to who are the people that make this business work, but it also allows for a legion of fools to recklessly speak on topics they have little credibility to discuss.
The last tip I'll give you is to seek out a mix of reliable people that you can ask questions, bounce off thoughts and possibly watch games with. These people should be able to not just tell you about who are the all-time greats of a team, but show you the finer points of sports culture. Stadium cuisine, throwbacks and third-color jerseys, bars that have the sports packages on cable and of course, abnormally large mascots.
As you grow more comfortable with your viewing, you'll continue to seek out information. You'll try to understand why Drew Brees and Peyton Manning thrilled us in Super Bowl XLIV (stellar offensive line play) or what makes Hanley Ramirez one of the more dynamic shortstops in baseball today. Over time, you'll start to watch all the sports television shows with some interest beyond box scores. You'll start DVRing those lame primetime shows and flip over to NBA TV for the Fan Night Game of the Week. You may even consider joining Twitter to talk to some very savvy scribes.
I can't say I know all of the issues of every female aspiring sports fan. As someone who grew up in an estrogen-dominated family where everyone played at least two sports, the idea that a woman can't feel part of the crowd just like the guys is absurd. Yet as someone who wants you to read every character, line, and paragraph in Norman Einstein’s Magazine, we need more of you to develop your love of the game. After all, primetime shows are pretty lame, aren't they?
[Jason is a staff sportswriter for the New York Beacon, an African-American weekly in New York City. He is also the schizophrenic mind behind a Sports Scribe. Follow him on Twitter to glimpse the rapid-fire method to his madness. To read more by Jason, check out his profile.]
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