If there is one thing I wish to address as the SuperBowl creeps closer, it is I wish to be taken seriously as a girl who enjoys football. Now, I know what you may be thinking: “It’s 2024. Everyone knows girls can like football.” Though the truth of that is somewhat indisputable, I can tell you from personal experience that there is a monumental difference between people possessing the knowledge that women can like predominantly masculine sports and the demeanor of those who supposedly possess this knowledge.
To avoid making sweeping generalizations, allow me to speak about my own experience. I was informed by a guy I considered to be one of my best friends at the time that he refused to argue with me about football because I was a girl and, and I quote, “girls don’t know anything about football.” Bear in mind that we had been talking about football for seven months by that point. Yeah, that was not a fun one to hear. I was called “feisty” for getting passionate about a game my team was winning. When having a friendly dispute over text about the Jets unceasingly disappointing performance, I was told that I was most likely getting all of my comebacks from my father. Speaking of my father, despite my presence in the room and his awareness of my love for football, he would always seem to solely address my brother by name before sharing the latest news about the Baltimore Ravens. All of this is to say that there are somewhat trivial yet persistent consequences of being a girl who wishes to be taken seriously in regards to her understanding of football.
Now, what I don’t want to do is act like every conversation I have had about football has left me belittled in some capacity. I’ve met some of the most significant people in my life by screaming at them about how the Baltimore Ravens were on track to secure a SuperBowl win with a MVP frontrunner as our quarterback. That is until we suffered one of the most devastating losses we’ve seen against the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m sorry about that one America. Still, some of my closest bonds are with those I can chirp about being fans of continuously losing teams. I’m looking at you Giants fans.
In all seriousness, I have had some of the best and arguably worst, conversations of my life about the sport but all of them left me with the same nagging thought: I wish to be taken seriously as a girl who enjoys football. When I converse with someone who does take me seriously, I’m left feeling relieved. Why should I have to feel relieved? It is not a privilege to have my input respected so why does it feel like it is? I guess, it comes from the closeness of those to me who responded negatively to my interest in the sport. I would always be taken aback and quite frankly left questioning the actuality of our closeness. However, as I find more and more people who respect and value my contribution to the football conversation, I have come to feel more confident in expressing my opinion, even the ones that are slightly controversial. For example, how the road to victory for the Kansas City Chiefs is being paved by the NFL scriptwriters. There, I said it.
What I am not saying, however, is that I know everything there is to know about the NFL. If you asked me on the spot to name the winner of the 2001 AFC Championship I would probably look at you like you had three heads. Also yes, sometimes I can be a bit “animated” in conversation (or relentless, depending on how you want to look at it), and yes I also refuse to yield about the Chiefs being carried to the SuperBowl by the scriptwriters, but all I’m asking is you please take me seriously.
Sincerely,
A Girl Who Enjoys Football