Women can have SMART opinions on football, too

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It is entirely possible for women to know something about sports. So, why should women not be able to enjoy sports the way guys do?

 I personally have experienced getting shut down when talking about sports due to the fact I am a girl. 

I got my love for sports growing up with my family in Texas, a state known for its love of football, so of course I found joy in watching it. It gave me a way to connect with my family. I have 6 brothers spanning the ages of 2 years old to 21 years old. Most of my brothers and cousins played football, so I would go and watch them play.

I love watching sports, but getting torn down for the love of sports doesn’t feel great at all. Some of the comments I hear are “How would you know that? You’re a girl?” or “You probably just think they are cute!”

Imagine this: You are a woman walking into a football party to watch a game, you take a seat and start watching with the guys and you say something out loud about the game. Some of the guys start rambling on about how you wouldn’t know anything about sports and you’re stupid for thinking that. How would you feel getting shut down because you are a girl and “don’t know anything about football”?

Why can’t women like male sports like males do? Yeah, we don’t play football or do the conditioning for it but that has nothing to do with the entertainment it provides. Women aren’t stupid; they actually do the research and get stats while guys just know trivial facts about the game. 

Everyone says they are for gender equality until it comes to sports. 

 Now, I can only speak for myself, but I indeed feel the constant need to prove myself to others and give them a reason on why I should be able to enjoy sports just like everyone else. If I like watching football and that is my thing, you can suck it up and deal with it.

Sometimes guys don’t see the little things that get missed. Just because men can Google and use Chat GPT doesn’t mean it is correct.

Watching  football is fun, but what if women want to pursue it as a career?

According to Megan Bruinsma, a sports editor of the Florida Atlantic University student paper, states “20.9% of sports reporters are women and 79.1% are men.” 

Men question women who major in something that has to do with sports. The question is why, for it is a male dominated field. Women aren’t typically into stuff like that. 

I am not saying all men are like this, but there are definitely some who question women with this passion. Is it because women don’t have as much knowledge on the sport?

Just because the girl doesn’t play football doesn’t mean they don’t know anything about it. What about the guys who don’t play the sport but love watching it? Is it OK for them to go around talking about the sport even though they don’t play it? If so, why? Because they are a guy? 

When women are accepted to be a sports journalist, it is often for women’s sports or so called “soft” sports. Not as many people watch women’s sports, so reporters aren’t getting the recognition they deserve because they are denied the ability to cover high profile sports or professional sports that are popular.

A term used for people who are in a hostile environment or being excluded is called “chilly climate.” Women in sports get this term used often.

In conclusion, men should respect women who want to enjoy watching football or women who want to pursue a career in sports. 

We are smart too.