A Lotta Women LOVE Sports–and Men Gotta Deal With That

In my admittedly sports-crazed family, spring has nothing to do with robins. It’s time for the annual family March Madness tournament! Next year The Britta Furlong Memorial (named after one of our serious sports-loving matriarchs) will be entering what we’ve managed to agree (in itself an achievement) will be its 34^th year.

Last year’s pool had 25 people, and I won the award for The Most Improved — a feat I managed by using astrology, team mascots, team colors and, in cases of ties, the university with the most distinguished English Literature faculty. This is probably a good time to state that my favorite team in New York City Ballet.

Winning an award stimulated my interest in the tournament, which led me to talk with my cousin Alexis — the woman most responsible for the pool’s smooth working and whose deep knowledge of pretty much everything about sports makes her our family version of SportsGoogle. So, I decided to ask her a few questions about how this happened.

What piqued your interest in sports? 

While not always the most athletic (case in point, I got my foot stuck in a net during a soccer game when I was about seven years old, and I’m still scarred), I followed the typical path of any child my age and played sports growing up and into high school.

In my senior year of high school, I fell in love with the Phillies, and particularly their left fielder Pat Burrell.  He was quite the looker, but not the smartest runner on the bases.  But, because of him, I developed a deeper relationship with my late grandfather who was one of the most passionate baseball fans I have ever met.  He would tell me stories about going to the old Shea stadium to see the team play, and he and I even got to go to a Phillies game to celebrate my 21st birthday.  Not only did I grow closer with him, but I also grew closer with my father and aunt.  I think, growing up, you forget that adults in your life have interests outside of you (shocker, I know).  I now look forward to each new baseball season, knowing I get to talk shop with those I love the most.

What do you wish men knew about women and sports?

Don’t treat us like this magical, once-in-a-lifetime unicorn if women tell you they like sports.  Embrace it!  Welcome us!  It makes talking to us in any type of situation (a date, a networking event, a grocery store) much easier.  Aside from that fact, women can bring a whole new perspective into the conversation.  Something which in my mind, has been missing for far too long.

Why do you think women’s sports/women’s interest in sports is having a resurgence?

Say what you will about Taylor Swift, but she is the biggest reason that young girls have started getting interested in sports, particularly football.  I know there was a lot of negative commentary on social media and even a little bit of controversy, but she’s made it cool to be a female fan in a prominently male-dominated landscape.  Along with Swift, there’s also the Caitlin Clark effect in college sports.  Admittedly, I’m not as well versed in college basketball, but from what I gathered, for the first time since people can remember, tickets for the women’s NCAA Tournament were more expensive than for the men’s because people were paying for the chance to see Clark, the highest scoring college basketball player in history, lace up her sneakers one last time.

What do women need to know about sports? 

First and foremost, we need to know it’s okay to like sports!  You can like to shop, and read, and binge Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and still like to root for your local team.  It doesn’t mean you are strange; it means you are a well-rounded, interesting person that people might be surprised by.  But in a really good, like “oh my gosh, brilliant” way.  If you are wondering where to start, my advice is to talk to the mega-sports fan in your life and learn how they became obsessed.  And then, go to a game with them!  Start slow.  You’ll soon be buying all the limited-edition merchandise, signing up for a season ticket package, and going to work the morning after a post-season game with a bad case of laryngitis.  Take it from someone who knows.

What is your hope for women and sports in the future? 

I truly hope this interest in women’s sports, whether you are a newbie or a lifelong devotee, continues to prosper and flourish.  And that this passion, encourages leagues and sport teams to even the playing field for both men and women.  To that end, when considering a new city for an expansion team, I want organizations to not only consider the potential impact of male fans, but also women fans.  Because as the movie Field of Dreams put it, “If you build it, they will come.”  As an avid sports fan, I can’t help but think they are referring to women.

Top 5 Tips for Organizing a Pool

1). Start your pool off right by creating a catchy name: If it stays around year-after-year, think of all the great merchandise you can make for participants (tee shirts, trophies, stickers).  Everyone would want to know where you got it from, and then before you know it, your pool has doubled in size!

2). Don’t get frustrated if someone forgets their username and/or password: In this day and age, it’s bound to happen.  To make sure it doesn’t, implement a cash fee that someone needs to pay if this isn’t their rookie year of participating.  That helps encourage them to write down important information!

3). Get in the habit of sending round-ending e-mails: Not only does it help keep people in the know as to where they stand, but it’s a fun way to send some funny trash-talking throughout the tournament.

4). Watch parties: If you run a tournament and everyone is local, I’d suggest some viewing parties.  Everyone can bring a basketball-inspired dish.  What could be better than that?  Not watching the games by yourself, that’s what!

5). Have fun and don’t forget to enjoy the tournament: It will be over in the blink of an eye and then all you can do is start counting down until next year.

Lest you think I’m a “one-sport” kind of girl, alas you are mistaken. While I love all sports (somewhat) evenly, baseball is my absolute favorite, with the Philadelphia Phillies sitting atop the #1 spot. I’ve traveled across the country (and even the Atlantic Ocean!) to see them play, purchased a cardboard cut-out of myself so my face would be in the stands even when I couldn’t be during the pandemic, and I’ve bought (almost) every gimmicky thing they have sold in the team store. I know my fandom will pay off eventually, just as soon as they win another World Series Championship and bring that trophy down Broad Street. Grease poles and all (look it up, it’s a Philly thing).

—

This Post is republished on Medium.

—

Photo credit: Author