Are Females Interested in Supporting Women's Sports?
 | posted by MarieS, a Women Talk Sports blogger About MarieS: Marie Spano, MS, RD/LD, FISSN, CSCS is one of the leading sports nutrition and nutrition communications experts in North America. Currently serving as Vice President of the International Society of S...more |
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NPR writer Frank Deford opens his article by highlighting all of the recent media attention given to female athletes. From Lindsey Vonn and Danica Patrick to Serena Williams, the media has taken notice. But, there seems to be a distinct divide where individual female athletes are highlighted in the media but few teams are. And, I'll add to that - notice that most of the individual females who are highlighted are photogenic.
Take women's softball as an a prime example of these two issues at hand (individual vs. team sports and how photogenic or attractive the female athlete is). I'm willing to bet more people outside of the inner world of women's softball recognize Jennie Finch's name than all other USA softball teammates combined. First, she's a pitcher and secondly, again, she's attractive in a sport that has more stereotypes than I can go into in one article.
Deford contends "certainly women themselves do not seem wired to support their gals as men the world over cheer on their guys." Why is this? I fall into the same category as Nicole Marschean, Intern at the National Women's Law Center: I like women's sports and follow the ones I played but I am glued to men's college basketball right now and the Hawks end of season run into the playoffs. I also follow MLB, NHL, men's running and more.
So how can you support women's sports? First, contact your media and demand for your games to be aired on TV and not just ESPN360 (watching a basketball game on a computer just isn't the same trust me, I've tried it), take your young girls to see women play sports (I'm lucky, my dad took us to everything from minor league baseball to Georgetown women's basketball games and women's fastpitch softball games). And, check as Marschean writes, vow to attend ONE women's sporting event this year (one that you have to pay for) and pledge to support female teams in addition to individual athletes. Deford makes some great points in his article, now let's prove to him that females are interested in watching and supporting women's sports.
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- Filed Under:
- Ice Hockey, Winter Games, Television, Fans, W College Hoops, NFL
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