First, I am a huge hockey fan, which means I religiously check scores for my favorite team (Pittsburgh Penguins all the way) and go to a hockey game anytime I can. Doesn't matter if it's NHL, AHL, college or high school, I love the game. My dad raised me to be this way, not saying my mother opposed aggressive sports.
There wasn't a Friday where I wasn't at a high school football game or Sunday without the game on with my mother around. I just happened to fall in love with the sport of ice hockey. I can remember stealing my dad's jerseys to wear, which, no matter what size they were, became a dress on me. It wasn't until I got older that I first started seeing the stigma around women and aggressive sports. At first, I was dumbfounded and couldn't believe that so many people believed that a woman couldn't possibly actually be into an aggressive sport such as hockey or football. Some people acted as though I was a rarity — imagine, a young girl who actually understood hockey and wasn't in it to check out the guys playing! Shocker, right? Wrong! Women can be into any sport they please. There are many reasons why and I'll even list a few.
Isn't it funny that people think that a woman can't be a fan of a certain sport, yet could have played it as a child, teen or even during college? That is one of the backward standards that I have come across in the sports world. Girls can play hockey, and many do. In fact, up until a certain age, many girls are on the ice WITH the boys. Baseball is the same way; girls are playing little league with the boys! Go Google the "Little League World Series" and see how many girls are outplaying boys. So, if we can play the sport, why can't we watch it and be diehard fans of it?
In hockey, there is a term called a "puck bunny," which is a woman who watches hockey and goes to games so that she can eventually sleep with a player. I honestly find this term disgusting and demeaning. Why create a label like this? Many women watch the sport because they are fans! Not because we want to sleep with a player. Why is that so hard for some to believe?
Honestly, football needs its own paragraph. Football fans are like no others, especially the women. Remember the saying,"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"? More like hell hath no fury like a female football fan with a losing team. My mother is that exact person. It has gotten to the point where I would just leave the house. Now, my younger sister is the exact same way, especially now since her team is the super bowl winners again. Yeah, she's a New England Patriots fan. There are many female football fans around the country and the world. I can guarantee for every male football I know, I know at least two female fans.
Also, don't even get me started on female MMA Fighters. Rhonda Rousey is a boss any day of the week and you can't tell me otherwise. It's probably not a good thing that so many people are obsessed with seeing people beat each other up, but I honestly love watching the fights. Especially Rhonda, because she breaks all kinds of stereotypes by being an aggressive and strong woman.
Now with these few reasons, why can't a woman be an
