Fieldnotes: Second Time Around

It was Sunday evening at 6:30.  I entered my garage to find my dad already in a recliner close to the candy machines and television controls.  The San Francisco and Tennessee game was on and I already knew it would be an easy win for the 49ers.  I reached over my dad, momentarily blocking his view of the projector screen, to get some gummy worms out of one of the turnstile machines.  I sat in my dad’s usual spot on one of the blue couches since it was the closest to a lamp and I needed to see what I was writing down.  It was just my dad and I up there since my uncle Ron couldn’t come over, and my brother was doing homework in the house. 

What surprised me?

As soon as I had gotten set up to take my notes, my dad started talking to me.  I was trying to write down everything going on around me—including what he was saying.  I had to keep taking notes on the side of the paper to remember all of the things my dad was saying for my final notes.  He doesn’t usually talk this much.  He makes conversation when needed, but doesn’t tend to start conversations, especially when I was barely giving him any response back.  Maybe he’s talking more because he is talking to himself, but I am there to hear it.  However, I was surprised by the amount he was saying.

What intrigued me?

Something that intrigued me while I was watching the games with my dad was how he talks to the players.  He doesn’t yell at the TV, unlike a couple of my uncles who get a little bit too into the game.   My dad says aloud what the players should have done instead of something he thought was a mistake of some sort. I don’t think I had ever really noticed that he tries to negotiate and work out all of the plays to see the best options.  It is as if he is there with them, a part of the team. My dad gets into the excitement of the game, but isn’t smothered by it.  He is enamored enough that he wants the players to do well and play the way he sees fit. 

What disturbed me?

My dad knew I was taking notes as a project for school during this time.  I hope he didn’t try to play up the chatter more than usual.  I don’t think that he did though.  I think I was just analyzing it more than I usually would.  Something that I found interesting was how little time the players spend in motion and, well, actually playing.  The game clock totals at sixty minutes, but not all of that time is spent playing the game.  A lot of it is used up by players walking on and off the field, taking time in between downs to set up, officials not stopping at exactly the right time play ended, etc.  In order to watch a full football game, it usually takes about three hours (commercials, timeouts, etc).  But, how long are they actually playing the game for? I don’t think it could be more than half an hour.  So, professional football fans, including myself, spend three hours of our precious time for about half an hour of action.

This set of fieldnotes was definitely more difficult because I had to write really fast in order to capture everything my dad was saying as well as what I was observing on the TV and what my own personal feelings toward my findings were.  I wish I had gotten a chance to take notes with more than just my dad present, and possibly during a Vikings game.  Maybe I will take some independent fieldnotes during one of those games later on.

NFL.com: What's in a website?

To learn more about my subculture, I have decided to take a look at the main online hub of professional football: NFL.com. It is an incredibly popular website, due to the popularity of the sport.  Each team has their own website, links to which are placed at the top of the home screen of nfl.com, marked with the team’s emblem.  Below that is a bar listing general terms including: fantasy, news, video, scores, schedules, standings, stats, watch games, tickets, and shop.  Scrolling over each, the visitor is given a quick snapshot of what each will entail if clicked on.  The NFL logo is to the left of this bar, along with a pink ribbon behind it for breast cancer awareness month.  The schedule of the upcoming games is listed below this bar, giving a two/three-letter abbreviation for each team and their opponent.  In order to understand several of these names you must be an insider of the subculture.

An advertisement for pizza hut is placed in the center of the top of the page, hard to miss.  Written on the ad is, “Score a Pizza Any Way You Want”, a play on the word “score” which is used specifically for this website.  A giant picture of two players reveals the main story of the website, the game that is on right now.  The caption underneath is “Ruling the air—Richard Sherman has owned Larry Fitzgerald in previous matchups.  Will his advantage continue? READ”.  “Ruling the air” is a statement that almost anyone outside of the subculture would not understand.  Most of the side article titles such as this would not make any sense to an outsider: “Rank’s 11 Sleepers: Graduation day for Keenan Allen”, “The new King of Corners?”, and “Drive the Jaguar”—just to name a few.

Scrolling down the home page, more advertisements for Pizza Hut are found as well as one for the NFL Shop.  One thing I noticed in particular about this website are the amount of pictures and videos compared to the amount of text.  There are so many forms of visual media and very small amounts of writing.  The subculture of professional football is not stereotypically known for being incredibly intelligent, so you would think they wouldn’t want to read much, but they like pictures.  One of the pictures at the very bottom of the page has the caption “Why do you love football” and it is a picture of a family (including a mom and daughter) watching football together.  I think it is interesting to note the infrequent appearance of women in the photos.  But, also to see when women are used and how they are used.  The next time something about a woman comes up, it is the ever-annoying ad “53 year old Mom Looks 27”. 

Fantasy leagues are the most directly fan-involved activities offered by nfl.com.  Here fans can interact with one another as well as play “make believe” with their favorite players.  I was not completely confident that I knew exactly how Fantasy Football worked, since I have never done it.  So, I clicked on the “Fantasy” link, then “Help” and under the “FAQ” headline was “What is Fantasy Football”. It explained very clearly, but without too much or too little detail.  The rituals of the “Fantasy” commitment involve deciding which players to keep on your starting lineup each week and then staring at each game to see how many Fantasy Points you rack up then, comparing your score to other fan’s teams. 

This website covers so much information, but it is very professional.  It looks like a lot of work goes into maintaining it and that the job is done by several people who do this for a living.  The NFL’s marketing specialists must work hand and hand with the website management due to the incredible number of advertisements.  This is definitely the main site for anything and everything professional football.  It is a wealth of information and could be used in a variety of ways.  I will definitely be coming back to check it out. www.nfl.com

Analyzing My First Fieldnotes

I took a seat in the second floor of my garage at eight o’clock at night on Columbus Day in a corner recliner near the projector screen. I faced outwards in order to have a full view of my garage.  I was the only one up there, so it was very quiet.  I turned all of the lights on, but kept the television off.  I wanted to be able to focus on what I could sense without any distractions for my first set of fieldnotes.

What surprised me?

I was surprised by just how much “stuff” there was to observe in my garage. There are so many objects and appliances that it can be hard to keep track of all of them. I had never realized how many things were up there: metal signs, hundreds of DVDs, blankets, pillows, chairs, flags, candy machines, appliances, Christmas supplies, statues, posters, and more.  It is a bit of a mess, but a comforting mess.  It definitely isn’t disgusting, but it looks lived-in.

What intrigued me?

I had never noticed that almost all of the appliances in my garage have either been previously used in my own house or one of my relative’s houses. This seems to add to the idea that the garage belongs to everyone.  Several people have given us different pieces that have created the essence of the garage.  One thing I noticed that was different was our new refrigerator which was bought specifically for the garage after our last one broke (which had been previously used in my house). My Grammy and Uncle Ron have given my dad gifts that he uses as decorations in the garage, including several Viking themed items.  These artifacts contribute to how our garage feels to everyone that visits.  Since my Grammy doesn’t come up in the garage often, but she knows my dad loves it up there, she helps add things to his collection and, therefore, is able to remain a part of it.  It was interesting to note how much of an affect others have had on the personality of our garage and how they have shaped it into a place of family.

What disturbed me?

I am disappointed that my bookcase is being used as DVD shelving, while I have nothing to put my books in.  But, I should be able to fix that pretty soon.  One thing that disturbed me was that we have yet to put out any chocolate! It is getting pretty cool out; I think it’s chocolate time.  Another thing was that I realized how long it had been since my dad had made popcorn in the machine, but I’m not sure why it has been such a large gap.  One thing I was confused by was why the air conditioner was placed so far away from where people would be seated.  I’m not exactly sure why it was placed there, but it may have been because of the noise. 

I think it was important to take fieldnotes without any human distraction.  It gave me an opportunity to simply observe the physical fieldsite.  However, I am looking forward to seeing what really goes on during a game in my garage—which will be my next set of fieldnotes.

My Subjectivities

My name is Meghan and I am a white, 18-year-old girl.  I have lived in Rhode Island my entire life in the same house in the very rural neighborhood of Hope, a village in the town of Scituate.  I grew up with two younger siblings, a brother and sister. I have a great relationship with my family; I would do anything for them, and I know they would do the same for me.  I am currently a commuting freshman at Rhode Island College, majoring in nursing. 

I have followed professional football my entire life.  My dad would sit me down in my bouncy seat in front of the television in the living room and we would watch the game together. He was the one to really get me involved in professional football.  I was raised a Vikings fan because my dad really loved Fran Tarkenton as a kid and decided to follow Minnesota.  His parents were divorced when he was little, so he never had a team that was passed down from his dad (his mom didn’t follow football).  I think my dad felt it was important to endow his own spirit for his team onto my siblings and me since he did not get to have that luxury.

The field site I have chosen is the second floor of my garage where we watch Sunday football games during the season.  It is a very comfortable atmosphere for me already.  I have spent many Sundays closely watching the projector screen from my couch or, if no seats are available, the red carpeted floor. Recently, because of the increased workload, I have had to do all of my homework on Saturdays and on Sunday mornings so that I can watch the game Sunday afternoon.  But, some people aren’t as fortunate as I am and have to go to work on Sundays. I can understand why they aren’t able to watch the games and, therefore, don’t tend to get as involved in the aspect of professional football.  Some people that work while games are on still follow it because they were brought up watching football games on Sunday.  My dad works on Sundays pretty frequently, but he still follows the game at work because he can’t stand to be away from it all. Yet again, many people don’t have access to cell phones, computers, or television in order to watch the game or even get the highlights.  This greatly affects the beliefs of someone who does not understand why professional football is so important to many people.  Others choose not to watch due to the stereotypical “drunk, loud men” watching “dumb brutes” play a “silly game”.  I was raised in an environment where football was a fun sport that I would play in my front yard with my family.  It wasn’t for unintelligent people, in fact, it took a lot of skill, which I found out first-hand as my dad’s star wide receiver.

I think being a girl is the most prominent factor that will affect what I see when I go into my field site to take notes and uncover more information and history.  Men treat women differently when it comes to sports.  Women are often thought of as inferior and ignorant.  My personal experience has been, overall, a pleasant one.  My dad and uncles accepted me when I asked questions and was curious about how football worked.  I don’t think that they thought it was strange that a little girl wanted to understand the sport that they were so infatuated with.  But, not everyone’s family gets along this way.  What do the girls who show an interest, but aren’t permitted to join in do?  And, if a girl does not show any interest, was she raised this way socially because her parents didn't follow football or because only men watch football?  I propose that part of the reason not many women watch professional football is because they were not allowed to watch when they were little because “football is for boys”.  I hope to uproot this belief and show that women can be just as infatuated with football as men.

Background and Purpose of my Fieldwork

Hi! Welcome to "Watch Like a Girl", the blog through which I will be conveying my fieldworking project this semester.  The field I chose to take a closer look at is my garage.  A strange place to examine, you may think, but it is much more than a place to store cars.  In 2001, my family had our garage built adjacent to our house.  It was giant—just a little bit smaller than my entire house and, at two stories high, just as tall. A car or two, along with a tool bench, a lawnmower, bikes, and basketballs scattered everywhere fill the bottom level.  A staircase in the back leads to a wooden door that conceals my dad's "man cave".  Old couches, projector television, candy and popcorn machines--it is a very comfortable place to hang out and watch TV. 


But, this place is most famous during football season. I was raised a Vikings fan because my dad loved Fran Tarkenton.  My mom is a Bengals fan, but no on really knows why.  She mostly understands football, but not to the extent my dad, little brother, and I do.  And my little sister has absolutely no interest in it.  Every Sunday my family and extended family gather together to watch the best football game that week.  It is a place of community; we all experience disappointment and celebration together (more often disappointment because we are Vikings fans). 
I chose my garage not only to examine the community that comes along with being a football fan, but also what discourages people from joining.  

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to learn more about football. As a female, it was more difficult for me to be accepted into this strange world of viewing smelly men running around in spandex.  But, my family was pretty receptive to my longing to understand the game.  Once I was in, I noticed I would be hanging with all of the guys in my family while the women chattered with one another in the back and ate chicken wings.  Back then, it didn't strike me as a division--it was just the way things were.  I thought I was so cool because I got to be with all of the guys.  

Now that I am older, I process things differently and take note of how I am viewed as a female football fan. I have noticed that the NFL targets women in some commercials on their network, but there are far fewer than those for men. I am curious about revealing how much of the fan base of professional football is made up of women.  I think it is a bigger number than most people think. I would also like to know why most people don’t think that women understand football. I strongly believe exploring the gender-conscious side of football will prove to be worthwhile for me as well as my comrades, male and female.  I hope you will enjoy following me on my journey through football feminism!