Super Bowl Sunday may be my favorite day of the year (besides the College Football Playoffs and the BCS National Championship Game, of course). Honestly, few things get me more hyped up than a big football game, infamous commercials and quality bar food. I have to say, I was beyond excited to watch the legendary Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos play against young football pro Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
In spite of my passionate and enthusiastic preamble, however, this article doesn’t have much to do with the Super Bowl. It has to do with the fact that I’m a female. A female with an immense passion for the game of football; a game within an industry dominated almost entirely by men.
I am tired of the stigma.
Whenever I tell people my dreams of being a sportscaster, they laugh. Oftentimes, they scoff at me and say, “Good luck with that.” I can’t really blame them, though. I’m sure it sounds funny: a blond-haired, blue-eyed five-foot-four-inch female wanting to be on television talking about America’s most popular sport next to Troy Aikmen, Kirk Herbstreit or Cris Collinsworth, men who have not only played the game, but lived the game.
No, I have not played the game. No, I have not lived the game. But what I have done, is watch the game, study the game and work hard to understand the game.
I’ve sat on my living room couch with my dad drawing X’s and O’s on a piece of scratch paper, learning the different positions and jobs of each player. I’ve made notecards to help myself learn the names of notable coaches and players throughout the history of the sport. I’ve tirelessly watched games and attempted to call plays before they happen.
Am I writing this for your pity and sympathy?
Hell to the no.
I’m writing this for respect.
Unlike men, women are new to the industry. We haven’t been involved in the sport for the past 60 years. We haven’t played the game. We have the ability to challenge the “norms” of football. Without bias, we can point out weakness and make the game better. Women have an unparalleled willingness to challenge the status quo because, to us, there is no status quo.
It’s time we, as a society, legitimize the worth and knowledge women bring to the sports journalism world.
In short,
I am a woman, I understand football and it’s time to take me seriously.