Have you ever been scrolling through social media and come across videos titled “Football 101 for the Girls,” “Teaching Football for Hot Girls,” or “Football for the Girlies”?
If you have, you’re definitely not alone!
With it being the middle of football season, these videos have become a fun way for girls to learn the ins and outs of the game. Sitting on the sidelines, or, more often, on the couch, while everyone else is up jumping and screaming can easily make you feel isolated. All of a sudden, you are hearing terms like “first down” or “fourth and ten.”
Some of these terms make it hard to keep up with the game, but these videos are making football a little less confusing and a lot more enjoyable for us to watch. Let’s be real, some of us need that extra guidance, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Football can be confusing sometimes, especially when you are just starting to get into the sport.
That’s when these videos enter the chat.
No shame in learning the game
While some people might argue that labeling football content as being “for the girls” reinforces the stereotype that women don’t understand sports, it doesn’t always have to be like that. We can look at it differently. These videos aren’t assuming that we girls don’t know football. Instead, they’re creating a fun and welcoming environment for those of us who want to learn more about the sport without feeling embarrassed for asking.
At the end of the day, we don’t need to know everything about football to enjoy watching it, but sometimes all a girl needs is someone to explain what an interception is without making her feel weird for asking. All it takes is for someone to explain some of the basics in a way that actually makes sense.
Who said girls have to prove they know football?
While on the topic of “football in the girl world,” why do we have to prove we are football fans as women? You rarely see someone asking a man to prove he is a football fan…
I think we’ve all experienced that conversation at least once in our lives where someone asks, “Oh, you like football? Name five players.” Being a girl who enjoys football can sometimes feel like you have to pass the random pop quiz people tend to ask you just to prove you are a real fan. Just because a girl doesn’t know every player on her favorite team’s roster does not mean she can’t genuinely enjoy watching the sport. We all discover our interests differently, and football shouldn’t be an exception. Being a football fan shouldn’t be about how much you know; it should be about how much you enjoy the sport. Whether you’ve been watching football since you were little or you are recently starting to watch, your interest in football is just as valid as anyone else’s.
To all my girls who are still figuring out what a first down is, keep watching those “football for the girls” based videos. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and cheer freely for your favorite team without letting anyone make you feel like you don’t belong in the conversation. Football isn’t just for the boys, and we shouldn’t have to prove ourselves to enjoy it.Â
Football is for the girls too!