When the Red Sox won the World Series, everyone in Boston was celebrating. If you weren’t at Fenway or in Boston there were plenty of other ways to celebrate the big win. Southwest made an appearance on television and the Amherst bars were wild.
But of course there had to be the routine Twitter and Facebook posts about girls being “trophy wives,” “attention-seeking (fill in the blank),” or “bandwagon fans.”
It’s not news to me that guys (and even girls!) feel the need to defend their die-hard fandom by making others feel like they can’t be a part of the celebration. Something about this time triggered me to post on Facebook myself. Mind you, I’m not a huge Facebook status kind of girl. But, I had something to say and I wanted to be heard:
“The Red Sox won the World Series and I hope everyone was able to celebrate it with friends or family in one way or another. With that being said, I want to throw something out there. A generalization about women and sports after a huge victory has got to be one of the worst things to listen to. I’m not an avid MLB fan by any means, but if I can’t open a beer and thoroughly enjoy a World Series game without being called a ‘typical broad’ or ‘bandwagon fan’ it kind of ruins the fun. It’s not a huge deal until you hear it again and again. If you’re from Boston you have been a part of something really special. No one should be excluded from that! Sports bring people together, that’s the best part. The World Series rocked and I think we are all more than capable of celebrating that.”
With over 100 likes and comments like “Perfectly said” or “I feel the same way” proved that this isn’t something I feel alone. God forbid I can’t enjoy a World Series game, the Stanley Cup, or the Super Bowl without knowing the entire roster, every single damn rule, and what the head coach likes to eat for breakfast. Do I need to be an avid fan to be a fan? Do I need to prove to you that I’m not watching for your approval, I’m watching because I want to?
Look, I understand that stereotypes exist for a reason. I know where the “trophy wife” stereotype comes from. Sticking that to every female in the room is a little extreme, don’t you think?
So here’s a bit of advice:
To guys: I’m not watching to impress you and I’m not watching to be someone’s trophy wife. Perhaps you should spend more time talking about the game and enjoying the win than taking your generalizations to Facebook and Twitter.
To girls: Hey, we’re on the same team. Why are you judging other girls when you’re put in that category yourself? No need to prove your dedication to your sports team – we get it. Embrace a fellow female enjoying the game and who knows maybe you can teach her a thing or two.
Sports are fun and sports are for everyone. Next time you open your phone to post about how much you hate girls “pretending” to be fans, consider focusing your energy on something more positive. After all, it’s about the game and having a good time.