Women as Sports Fans

I saw an interview last fall that really made me cringe. I don't even remember who the interviewer was, or who it was with, or even what the question was. What I remember is that it was a female sportscaster interviewing a baseball player. Here was the introduction to her question:

"You scored 12 runs, offensively speaking..."

I'm sure the end of the question was something like "how did that make you feel?" But honestly, it doesn't matter. What matters is that the female reporter felt the need to specify in her preface that 12 runs is, indeed, an offensive measurement.

Why did she need to do so? Did the player need a reminder? Did he need proof that she had enough baseball knowledge to conduct the interview? Or did she really feel that it was important to make the clarification between offensive and defensive runs?

Regardless, statements like this make female reporters seem clueless and, frankly, unqualified. When a male does an interview, he usually delves straight into the specifics. When a female does the interviewing, we get stuck with questions like "so, you just won the World Series, you know, the highest achievement for a Major League Baseball team... that must've made you really happy, right?"

Or you'll get a huge preface to the question that basically answers the question before the player has a chance. "So, LeBron, you are originally from Akron. It must make you really happy to play in Cleveland since it is so close to home. Plus you've really seen this team grow over the years, so the success is especially rewarding." And then LeBron is like, "yeah, thank you for the recap. Was there a question?"

Or, my personal fave, excessive listing of statistics: "Mr. Brees, you've thrown for over 4,000 yards in all four of your seasons with New Orleans and set several career highs this season, including completion percentage and touchdowns in a single game. To top it all off with a Super Bowl victory and MVP must've been really great." And Drew is like, "yeah, I know. I was there."

Unfortunately, these boneheaded interviews fuel what I believe is the real problem. When a girl/woman enters a room with a sporting event on, it is assumed that she has no knowledge at all of what is happening. If she is a sports fan, she must prove it in order to be taken seriously. She has to make specific statements that demonstrate her knowledge of the sport, without it seeming too forced or rehearsed.

When a man enters a room with a sporting event on, it is assumed that he is an omnipresent expert on all things pertaining to this game. He usually isn't. Yet the most ridiculous comments from guys are often taken seriously by others in the room. (Where perhaps some insightful comments from girls had been ignored.)

Take this example, a recent conversation of mine:

Male: Do you know who Shaq is?
Me: *a little put off* Um, yeah? I'm mad at Big Baby and the Celtics for hurting his thumb.
Male: Oh, I didn't even realize he was still playing. What team?
Male #2: Didn't he used to play for the Lakers? And what was he doing with a baby?

Okay, I added the comment about the baby for embellishment. But I'll sum up.

Girl walks into the room: "Have you heard of LeBron James?" Guy walks into the room: "Dude, how about that sick pick and roll by so and so bench warmer #99 who was acquired in that trade with the Sonics 3 years ago?" (Okay, so I don't have a flowing knowledge of basketball...)

The saddest part is that I'm guilty of this too. I'm always excited to meet other female sports fans, but I am probably more skeptical of their knowledge at first. Guys, on the other hand, frequently disappoint me because I expect them to be more informed than they actually are.

So my question is this: Why do women need to prove themselves in order to be taken seriously as sports fans? Maybe if our TV personalities showed more confidence in their knowledge, the rest of us could follow suit. Or maybe I'm the only one that notices any of this, and it's just a personal beef.