A group of girls crowd around a TV, but not to watch “The Bachelor” or “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” Sunday night football draws a mixed gender crowd, perhaps gaining its biggest audience this past Sunday, as everyone gathered to watch Super Bowl XLIX.
Football is often thought of as a man’s sport. Because it is considered violent and highly competitive, many people assume that girls have no interest in watching weekly games or cheering on a team.
In reality, football is enjoyed almost equally by men and women. A September 12th article from The Washington Post stated that “Women make up an estimated 45 percent of the NFL’s more than 150 million American fans.” Watching football is a pastime for everyone, and weekly games cumulate to what is arguably the most watched sports game in America: the Super Bowl.
This year’s big game featured the New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots came out victorious with a final score of 28 – 24. This was the team junior public health major Julia Spenadel was rooting for.
“They sound more familiar,” she said, though admitted that she had no strong ties to either team.
She watched with her parents, because they were the ones more interested in the game. Watching a football game is an event that has an ability to bring people together. It creates a bond between people rooting for a common team, or against a common enemy.
Super Bowl parties are a great way to enjoy the game with friends or family. Every party is different but no matter how you choose to celebrate, food is a common theme. Pizza and wings are typically the big items, but chips of all kinds often make an appearance as well. Just because girls are watching doesn’t mean they’re eating salads.
“I love to cook so [the food] is definitely my favorite part,” freshman government and politics major Shoshanna Dintzer said.
It’s also fun to place friendly bets on scores against others at your party. The added competition is fun, whether the prize is a gift card or simply bragging rights until the next year.
For some girls, having a group of friends to watch the game with is important, because it is what they’re used to doing at home. Not being able to watch the game with your family can cause homesickness. The sense of community created by watching the game with other people and cheering your heart out when your favorite team scores can help you forget that you are so far away.
The idea that football is only for guys is outdated. Girls love a little competition, good food and a sense of community. They sport jerseys because they are proud to be fans of the sport. In some towns, girls are even starting to sport their teams jerseys on the field.
“In my high school I knew one person who was on the football team and it was a girl,” Spenadel said.
She thinks that if teams were more inclusive, and more accommodating to girls who do want to play, it could become more of a mixed gender sport.
Who knows: in another 49 Super Bowls, maybe girls won’t just be cheering from the sidelines. Maybe they’ll be on the field playing in the big game.