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.