Between the start of football season and the end of baseball's regular season, it is difficult to pay attention to much else this time of year. Sure, golf fans might have turned the channel to the conclusion of the PGA's inaugural FedEx Cup over the weekend, and for Portland Trailblazer fans Greg Oden surely stole the limelight. But for the most part, it’s baseball or football on the minds of sports fans right now.
I myself was enjoying a college football game on Saturday night when an advertisement came on that reminded me that there is a whole other side of sports that I pay little attention too and know even less about: women's sports.
It happened in a commercial where Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute from "The Office," jumped into a soccer goal and tore off his suit to reveal soccer shorts and a sports bra. For the next thirty seconds or so, Wilson, playing a character similar to Schrute, demonstrated to a bunch of female soccer players how they might improve their celebrations and impress fans. Eventually, one of the players kicks a soccer ball at Wilson as the screen goes black. There, looking fearless in front of a black background stand several members of the soccer team, which text soon reveals to be the U.S. Women's National Soccer team. Nike, which sponsors the team, then proclaims that the viewers are catching a glimpse of "The Greatest Team You've Never Heard Of."
My first reaction to the commercial was to take offense. Obviously, I've heard of the team. It's not like I didn't know that America had a women's soccer team. I can still conjure up the image of Brandi Chastain ripping her shirt off in celebration of a World Cup-clinching penalty kick, and I can capably give a brief biography of Mia Hamm. That, however, is where my knowledge of the team ends, and upon learning that neither Chastain nor Hamm is still a member of the team, I realized I am almost completely in the dark.
A second event, this one taking place Sunday night, drove home the observation that I had stumbled upon earlier. A trip to ESPN's website in an effort to check fantasy football stats reminded me, or rather informed me, that the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA championship was just hours from taking place, and that when it came to women's sports, I didn't even have a clue.
The Detroit Shock played the Phoenix Mercury in the finale, but that's about all I could tell you about the league. I could name a handful of players, but I'd be hard pressed to tell you what teams they played for or even how many teams are in the league these days.
All of this goes to serve the point that even though I consider myself to be at the very least an "average" sports fan, when it comes to women's teams, I am completely oblivious.
Coming to that realization posed an interesting question: Does my lack of interest in these sports make me some sort of sexist jerk?
Well, I thought about it, and I think I can safely say that the answer to that question is no.
Most of my time devoted to watching and following sports comes from watching ESPN, and although the network provides some coverage of these female teams, it devotes considerably more to the NFL, NBA and MLB. I'm just exposed to other sports more than I am to women's ones.
When it comes to basketball, I firmly believe that the product of the WNBA is just as strong as the NBA, but there isn't a Boston-based WNBA team. As a self-admitted "homer," I'd like to think that if there was a WNBA franchise in Boston (Connecticut doesn't count, I know about the Sun), I'd fight to the death with anyone who bashed the hometown team. Without a team to root for, though, it is difficult to develop an interest, at least initially, in the league.
As for women's soccer, well, I don't really care about men's soccer either. In fact, I probably know more about Mia Hamm than I do about anyone who has played for the U.S. men's team. The only soccer team I really root for to begin with is the New England Revolution (see the previous argument for why), and I don't even follow them too closely.
I may not pay attention to women's sports, but that doesn't mean I don't respect the leagues and the athletes. Commercials like the Nike ad that got me thinking about this seemed aimed at making myself, and probably many other male sports fans, feel bad about our lack of knowledge of these teams. I know just as much about the WNBA and women's soccer as I do about NASCAR, but I don't feel bad that I can't tell you how many races Jeff Gordon has won, just the way I shouldn't feel bad that I can't tell you how many points Diana Taurasi scores per game. I'm willing to concede that the U.S. Women's Soccer team may be the best team I don't pay attention too, but it certainly isn't the best I've never heard of.
Mike is a sophomore majoring in journalism. If you''d like to have an in-depth conversation about the WNBA he might not be able to follow you, but he can be reached at [email protected] anyway.
