In the culture of sports, specifically the subculture of sports fandom, there is one group heavily favored: the men. The world of sports is heavily regarded as a “boys’ club,” meaning a male-dominated group that excludes women. The biggest example of this mistreatment is seen with female fans of male professional sports teams.
You can ask any female sports fan you know if they’ve ever had a negative experience involving people questioning their level of fandom or knowledge with the team of their choice, and I would be floored if any of them said no. The idea of women not being “big enough” fans seems to be the most common. Whether it’s a man asking you to name five players, the team’s win-loss record for the past season or how many championships the team has taken home, you can find someone doubting your interest in your favorite team. No amount of merch or memorabilia matters for this debate, which gets a little outlandish when you look at the current price of official merchandise partners like Fanatics. Who is spending $175 on an NHL jersey for a team they don’t even care about?
Unfortunately for women, not even the most detailed statistics or team roster information could earn you the title of a “true fan” to some male fans, even if they’re a fellow fan of the same team. If you come prepared with all the nitty-gritty information on your team, the sound explanation can’t possibly be that you love your team, right? It must be because the male athletes are conventionally attractive, and the only reason you’re supporting their team is because your celebrity crush is #43! The narrative created is that women don’t actually like the game, only the players. I personally drove two hours to a player signing event and still had people questioning if I was a “true fan” or not. If attending a meet and greet makes me a bandwagon, buy me a Kansas City Chiefs jersey and call me the biggest fan football has ever seen.
This pattern of deeming women as “fake” or not “diehard” fans stems simply from misogynistic stereotypes, ones that view women as weak or non-athletic compared to their male counterparts. Sadly, with most issues regarding the topics of women in and around society, the root can typically be found in systemic sexism. If it’s not a man saying that “women don’t belong in sports,” it’s one saying that he could beat Serena Williams in a tennis match.
Despite the young female demographic being nothing but a money-making machine, the general public looks down on artists or teams being supported by this audience. Society disrespects female fans to the point where it starts to disrespect what they support. Take a look at the recent backlash Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce has gotten since he started dating Taylor Swift. He is arguably the most popular NFL player currently and has been met with negative media attention surrounding his relationship and new swarm of Swiftie fans. Swift has even been blamed for Kelce’s performance, citing the singer as a “distraction.”
Despite an overwhelming number of disappointing experiences for female sports fans, one community has surfaced that seems to be a safe haven: professional women’s sports leagues. Even though some professional women’s sports haven’t earned respect from everybody, we are currently in an amazing era for women’s sports leagues. The WNBA has had a spectacular regular season, sporting a record best average of 1.19 million viewers on ESPN platforms and the highest total attendance in 22 years.
The emergence of more leagues also helps to grow this community that values their female market, like the Professional Women’s Hockey League having their inaugural season in 2023-24. The PWHL has six charter franchises so far, but has been met with immense support, with the league setting the record for the largest attendance record for a women’s hockey game worldwide multiple times throughout their first season.
With women’s sports on the rise, we’ve seen female fans of women’s sports treat male fans with respect. I’ve never heard anyone accuse a male WNBA fan of being “fake.” On the other hand, I have heard of men disrespecting male fans of female sports, so is there even a way to win?
The disrespect towards female fans needs to stop. Especially in these primarily male-targeted markets, like professional men’s sports leagues. If someone wants to support your beloved team, the more the merrier! The more money your team makes, the more opportunities arise not only for said team, but for fans like you and me. I will leave those who deem female fans of sports as “fake” and “undedicated” with one last line of advice: stop quizzing people. It makes you look bad, and no one is impressed.