Football season is here and that means Saturday's on the couch screaming at the TV or nights at games with all your friends. However, football can be a frustrating time for girls who love the sport because there are so many misconceptions about girls who like football. Stereotypes are rampant in the world of football and football communities are known for being very misogynist. So, in this piece we are going to look at some common stereotypes that we need to cast out when it comes to women who enjoy sports. Please remember these are stereotypes and sometimes they are true, that does not mean they are wrong or bad in any way, they simply should just not be use to label the community as a whole.
1. She only watches games to please her boyfriend/husband
This stereotype upsets me very much because it feeds into the idea that women just live to serve their man and will do whatever they ask them to. In today's society, women are often working on the same level as their husbands, if not higher, and the fact we still think that women do things like pretend to like things to make a man like them is absurd. Yes you can pretend to like football for a short amount of time, but eventually he will realize you don't know what is going on or you simply will get tired of pretending to care week after week. Most girls watch football because they like it, not because someone else they are trying to please does.
2, She is a lesbian if she actually knows the rules
This is something that I never quite understood. Someone's sexual orientation has nothing to do with what they like besides in a partner. There are plenty of lesbian women who despise football the same way straight women do. It is possible to be girly and to enjoy a sport despite what media tells you. It is possible and very common for straight women to enjoy football for their own enjoyment.
3. She is not a feminist if she likes football
These are two very different concepts. Football is a sport and feminism is an ideal about living life. I am a feminist and I probably watch more football then most men. Do I acknowledge the awfulness of football and the misogynist behavior of many of the players and fans? Yes I do, I would not be a true feminist if I did not acknowledge there is a problem with the system. There are men that act this way all over the world, in your office, on the street, in bars, and I should not have to give up watching a beautiful game just to prove that I believe in equal rights for everyone.
4. She is only here for the free alcohol
DO some girls do this? YES! DO some men do this? YES! Just because I come to watch a game with you does not mean I am trying to mooch off you. I simply want to just sit and enjoy a beer and watch the game with my friends. Odds are the men will get way more wasted and drink a higher quantity of alcohol anyways, so I do not understand why women always get accused of going to game viewings for alcohol.
5. Sorority Girls only go to games because they have to
Actually, girls in sororities often have more school spirit than anyone other group at the schools. Do some of them hate sports? yes. However, there are some who are die hard football fans and want nothing more than to be wearing that dress/jersey at the game cheering on their favorite players. If they were so against sports and football in particular, then they probably would not have joined the sorority in the first place.
If you are a girl who loves football, then go to those games and show those boys that all those things they say about you are wrong. If you are a girl who hates football then go find something else you love and put your time into that. There is nothing wrong with liking or disliking a sport! There is something wrong, however, with stereotyping women who like a sport when men are told it is a normal part of culture, and they get no judgement for dedicating literally one to two nights a week to it.
