I'm the son and daughter you always wanted...

Being my dad’s only child, I’m the son and daughter he always wanted.

I was that kid on the soccer field who would stop running midfield arguing I needed a water break. I pretended to be too shy to play aggressively on the basketball court. The only time I ever hit the softball was when my coach bribed me with an ice cream sundae. I tried figure skating, but failed the class three times for refusing to skate backwards. 

Remember the days in elementary school when your parents would sign you up for every sport and activity possible? They were trying to help you discover your one passion or hobby that you could enjoy and learn valuable lessons from. Every sport I tried, I quit. I was your average slightly chubby child. It wasn’t that I didn’t like being active. Challenge me to a race on your bike or hula-hoop competition and I’d have you beat.

Believe it or not, my parents did a pretty good job of allowing me to find that passion.

In the eighth grade at the height of my awkwardness, I developed a fascination with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver that ultimately led me to live the crazy lifestyle of a sports fanatic today. I mean after watching Sidney Crosby’s OT goal against Ryan Miller that won Canada the gold medal, who wouldn’t love sports.  

I’m not your casual fan who has a general idea of the game and occasionally catches a game on television. My daily routine is determined by which game I’m watching that day. I will gladly go out to dinner with my friends, so long as there’s a television for me to glance at.

My dad grew up in Buffalo, New York and blessed me with my love for all crappy sports teams (Go Bills, Go Sabres!). I like to think that my love for losing teams proves my dedication as a fan.

Being a female sports fan isn’t all fun and games. I refuse to wear pink jerseys and bedazzled hats to games. Don’t get me wrong, I love the color and sparkles, but there’s a time and place for that and it’s not at the game. When it comes to sports, I boast whatever color my team proudly wears.

While I would like to convince myself that we live in an accepting society, it’s not so. I never fully believed how little females weren’t accepted in sports until just a few years ago. One day I was getting ready to go to a football game. I was decked out in my jersey and hat pumped for the game. Then I heard a male in my group ask, “Should I put on some eye paint? Or would that be too girly and sissy?” I stood there shocked. My normally loud mouth self was left speechless, which is very rare feat. I was appalled that eye paint was categorized as a “girly” thing to do. The man that said this was someone who I always respected. I put my feelings aside for then, but to this day I’m still mystified by the situation.

When I went to college, I was hoping to find other girls like me who shared a passion for sports. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places, but I haven’t had much luck. This blog acts as a community for sports fans to congregate and share their love for the game. Whether gal or guy, any fan is accepted here. Because what kind of feminist would I be if I didn’t believe in equality.

If you take away anything from my ranting blog posts, it’s that (I hope) you gain a better acceptance of females in sports. We don’t just watch games to stare at athlete’s bodies (it’s only an added bonus).

So if any of you readers out there, don’t believe that I know sports I strongly encourage you to keep reading and find out for yourself… that you’re wrong.

Now excuse me, I need to get ready for the Green Bay Seattle playoff game.

“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”

– Terry Bradshaw