A Female Perspective On Hockey

“Marry Me (player’s name)”, “How about a date #28”, “You’re sexy and we know it.” These are a few examples of the signs women hold up around the NHL. Reality check! That woman holding up that “Marry Me” sign does not actually think she will marry that player! It’s meant to be a fun, cute sign.

Look I’m not saying that we women don’t find players attractive. We’re women, sure, if we see an attractive player, we will say it. However, let’s face it, guys are always judging women on their attractiveness whether they are on a sports team or not so why can’t we do the same without being judged?  We appreciate the skills of a player just like anyone, however if we happen to think he is good looking, it’s just an added bonus.  As most of us know, at many Panther games you will see signs directed at certain players but I say WHY NOT? It provides a good laugh for the players and maybe a little razzing between teammates. It also provides the fans with a good laugh as well and maybe even a puck during warm-ups because of the love they might be showing a player.

The era is over where men assume women know nothing about sports. I know going to a Panthers game, you see lots of women who know exactly what they’re talking about when it comes to hockey. What would be the point of going to a game week after week if we knew nothing about the sport? Trust me when I say, we would not be spending hundreds of dollars on watching “just guys playing hockey.” We go because, just like guys, we have a passion for the sport and we love cheering on a team that we truly love. We know the rules and nuances of the game. We love the speed and excitement of the sport.

I think it’s totally unfair how some women have to “prove” they know about the sport. Yeah, I know my facts, but my job as a fan isn’t to know every fact about my favorite team, it’s about me supporting that team. Women shouldn’t have to go through a set of trivia questions to prove they are actually a fan of a team but a lot of us could hold our own if it came to that.

I’m not saying every guy thinks this way because I’m sure there are plenty out there that respect a women’s love for sports. However, I do know a few, and it becomes frustrating. Let women be women. Let us discuss a player if we like him. Let us enjoy our team, signs and all. So to the men out there, the next time you see women holding up a sign at a game, don’t be so quick to judge.

Thanks for reading! All comments are welcome.

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