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!