This statistic surprises me because an estimated 100 percent of the females in our household wouldn’t watch a pro football game if Matthew McConaughey were playing quarterback with his shirt off.
But it’s only part of the story in what rapidly is becoming the feminization of football.
Sacking the stereotype of women as football widows, female football fans are packing the seats in sports bars and stadiums. For the 2009 NFL season, 33 percent of the television viewers and 35 percent of the adults in the stands were women. The latest Super Bowl had 41.9 million female viewers, which was more than the entire audience for the latest Academy Awards the following month.
In Pittsburgh, women aren’t just washing those “terrible towels,” they’re waving them. Thirty-four percent of the rabid Steelers fans are women, according to the latest survey. They’re even dressing their poodles in Steelers gear.
New Orleans Saints fans can read all about their team at chicksinthehuddle.com. When the season opened Thursday in New Orleans, a Pop-Up Shop was selling black and gold capri pants, Saints flip-flops, nail-polish kits and yoga mats.
Reebok has introduced a line of NFL maternity shirts bearing cute little phrases such as “Mom’s Tiny Kicker.” If that’s not enough to make Dick Butkus gag, the league’s fastest growing merchandise line consists of sundresses, handbags and hair accessories.
Sponsors — traditionally those selling cars, beer and food that would make a guy’s gut hang even further over his belt — have taken notice.
Febreze now is the official air freshener of the NFL and Procter & Gamble is introducing something called the Febreze Game Day freshness tour to tackle “tough game day odors in the air — sweat socks, chicken wings, garlic dip.” This campaign clearly is aimed at women because a typical guy would only buy sprays that smelled LIKE sweat socks, chicken wings and garlic dip.
I suppose all of this is a good thing, although I’m not sure guaranteeing equal rights for women to sit in the end zone is why feminists of the ‘60s were burning their bras.
But if male cheerleaders in Speedos start showing up on the sidelines at NFL games, I’m going to be spending my Sunday afternoons reading Danielle Steele novels.
Contact D.L. Stewart at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com
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