Quote:
Originally Posted by patchick
Personally, I learned to like the game by watching with my dad. Of course, I didn't have any brothers. I wonder if I would have gotten the same football attention from my dad if I had? If you want football-watching women, the best way to start is raising football watching girls.
That's another whole kettle of fish, though. I've complained about this before, but the commercials that run during a 1:00pm game are nasty! You get terrifying, bloody ads for horror movies; men discussing their erectile dysfunction and women daring them to "do better"; even language you don't want your kids to pick up. On the upside, the computer-generated first-down line has been a huge boon to explaining the game to young kids. Now you can get them into the idea by just saying "they have 4 turns to try to get to the yellow line, otherwise it's the other team's turn."
BTW, I also suspect that a lot of men don't really understand football either! Perhaps they're just more likely to appreciate the violent spectacle regardless. All those videos of "the NFL's most bonecrushing hits!" do nothing for me. But the draft, ahh! The perfect combination of football and shopping.  |
As usual, you are right on.
I believe that many women, AND many men as well, don't understand football for a number of reasons.
1: Other interests
2: Football is just plain violent.
3: You sometimes need some kind of mentor/father figure/older brother to foster that interest. Especially in Boston, which is the ONLY city in the country that follows baseball more than football.
There are certainly millions of women who watch and understand football, or at least enjoy it. Same goes for men.
Women are clearly catching up to men in football knowledge, and closing the gap BECAUSE WOMEN ARE SMART AND THEY DO WHAT THEY WANT.
I think more men can relate to a sport which involves hitting people, but there are plenty of men out there these days who are push overs and there are a lot of women who seem to be getting aggressive. But you can be a fan without participating in the underlying angry psychology of the game.
My wife and my sisters all watch football. I mentored them by taking the time to explain the game, just like I would have if they were boys.
Women are playing catch up when it comes to watching football, and the NFL will do everything to insure that most women don't ignore football like they may have twenty or thirty years ago. No problems there.
Patchick: As far as the ads that go along with football, it is a truly pathetic and disgraceful sign of the times that we live in. What burns my ass is when they show dead women on those atrocious CSI commercials at noon time on Sunday. WE GET IT ALREADY. This vile crap has no place on TV, and ads have no right to show disturbing images at noon on Sunday.
This issue goes way beyond what your politics are (I don't support either political party, BTW).
Re: Women and football
Re: Women and football
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