I wasn’t going to say anything about this. I’ve been trying to decrease the number of negative things I put out there into the megaverse, but I think I can’t sit on this any longer.
Dear CTV host Michelle Gerwing and Newstalk1010: Every time you make comments like “what are all the wives – the football widows -going to do for the next few weeks while their husbands are watching the games” and “ladies what will you do for the next five months? At least the Superbowl half time show looks promising. Bruno Mars?”, you are being sexist assholes. The assumption that women don’t like football is asinine. Some people don’t like sports. Their gender doesn’t matter. Well. I’m sure their gender matters *to them*, but it doesn’t matter to their enjoyment (or non-enjoyment) of sports.
Now, I don’t know who Bruno Mars is, and I don’t actually give a fiddler’s fart about halftime programming, whether it’s at the Grey Cup or at the Superbowl. And, just for the record, I don’t like shopping, I don’t wear makeup, and I do enjoy both football and politics. This does not make me an “exceptional” woman. Nor does it make me an “unusual” woman. It makes me a woman.
Now, if you had just said “football widow” or “football single” or “non-football folks” (which has the same number of syllables), I wouldn’t be upset. Because what you’re really saying is that for football fans, the very best time of the year is at hand. There is football on television nearly every night. Both the CFL and the NFL are playing their regular season. Basically, it doesn’t get better for football fans than September – November (and into February for NFL fans).
So just leave gender out of it. When you perpetrate sexist myths, you make it that much more difficult for the rest of us to have our voices heard in other areas. If it’s okay to be sexist in regards to sports, then we’re doing it wrong. And it’s not like we don’t already have an uphill battle when it comes to equality for marginalized or underprivileged groups.
I’m sure I’ll get all the hate mail from women who prefer to be called “football widows” or “sports wives”. Whatever turns your crank. I just don’t appreciate being painted with the same brush just because I have an inny.
P.S. I still like football even when my favourite team sucks.
i make squee noises when you tell me stuff.