Why Chicago Girls Love Sports So Much...And I Don't

I don't consider myself a girly-girl, but when I moved back to Chicago last year, I quickly realized that I stick out like a sore thumb among this city's sports-obsessed females.

You see, unlike most Chicago girls, I'd rather spend a relaxing evening in a candle-lit lounge than one of the city's 59,000 Irish sports bars. I'd go hungry before feasting on a plate of Buffalo wings, and I'll take a Ketel One and soda over a Miller Lite any day. And since we're being honest here, I only recently learned what RBI means.

Sure, I was born in Chi-Town and raised in the 'burbs, but I'm not much of a team player among Chicago sports fans. I feel like somewhere during my youth, I somehow missed the sports bonding that takes place between both sexes in our fair (or was that foul?) city. Was there a day at school where all the girls in my class learned how to proudly shotgun a beer and get excited about watching a bunch of dudes in tight pants tackle each other? I must have been home sick.

Chicago girls sure do love their sports. They actually know the names on the Sox roster, follow the Bulls in the standings, and watch SportsCenter - willingly! Try as I might, I can't seem to get myself to give a Da-mn about Da Bears or Da Bulls no matter what I do. And I've given it a fairly decent shot. Just last month, I caught the Cubbies at Wrigley. Don't get me wrong - the seats were awesome, the crowd was entertaining, and the weather was beautiful. But the most exciting moments of the day consisted of me stuffing my face with salty stadium nachos and over-priced cotton candy.

I'm assuming this city's female fans get their first taste of sports at home when Daddy's little girl puts on her first Cubs hat and root, root, roots for the home team. Her sports love affair then blossoms in college where weekends are devoted to early morning football tailgates and faces are proudly slathered in school-spirited face paint. Me? I would just go to the Ryan Field parking lot to take advantage of the nutritious kegs-and-eggs buffet the frat boys were sponsoring.

I barely - and rarely - cared about whether Northwestern was winning or losing while I was in school, but even so, I understood my classmates' loyalty to the Wildcats. But with those days now behind me, I marvel at how women my age are still willing to devote their entire Saturdays to sports. Is throwing back a brew in a dark, dingy bar really more appealing than spending a sunny afternoon tanning along the lakefront or brunching with friends?

Speaking of bars, I've been to Duffy's, Mullen's and Sluggers on game days, and I'm afraid I just don't see the appeal. Is it the 10 a.m. dollar beer specials? Or could it be the aroma of hot wings before noon on a Saturday? I'm not sure what annoys me more - the twenty televisions showing the same football game or the obnoxious girl who's had five beers too many. And honestly, the last time I was dragged to Durkin's, the only thing that kept me sane was their free, all-you- can-eat popcorn.

So, I've gotta wonder: Do Chicago gals genuinely care about the fortunes of this city's sports teams? Are they sitting through hour after hour of endless sports for the love of the game ... or for the love of the men in their lives?

I know I'm not alone here. So am I truly an outsider? Or am I the only girl in this city being honest about my total and utter disinterest in sports?

Comments

[footballhoward]

You say that you have given it a fairly decent shot, but what exactly does that mean? My question to you is - and in particular since it is football season and that is my favorite sport, has anyone ever explained the game to you? Let's face it, of the major sports, football is probably the most "complicated" to learn. I've always believed that if you don't understand something, you're probably not going to enjoy it much, and football is certainly no exception. With that said, here are just a few football basics for you to get you up and running:

o An NFL (National Football League) team has 53 players; some play on Offense (unit that possession of the ball and is trying to score); some play on Defense (unit that attempts to stop its opponent"s Offense from scoring) and some play on Special Teams (units that are on the field for kickoffs, punts and field goals)
o At any given time, a team has 11 players on the field
o The Offense attempts to advance the ball past its opponents goal line and score touchdowns (worth 6 points) or move it into field goal range for its Kicker to attempt a field goal (worth 3 points)
o There are two type of plays - passing and rushing (running)

So, give it a shot. Hey, with the millions of fans, there must be something to this game, right? Watch some games and check out www.learnprofootball.com

Best of Luck!

[VOTER]

Ladies, do not forget SOFTBALL.

Play the game, yourselves.

I believe the only place to buy "softballs" is in Chicago.

So much fun and laughter but also serious competition.

My husband cheered, yelled, clapped and laughed whenever I played.

Good Memories. Many Manicures.

[itolduso]

Chicago taverns are the friendliest in the world- it's hard to feel like a stranger in one, you really have to try to be ignored. With a game on, and a crowd that includes you in it's passion-it's hard not to fall in love with the local teams-win or lose. And it's a life-long love affair. I've lived in Florida for a decade and still cheer for Chicago.

[VOTER]

Thank you, in honor of my deceased father, who owned a neighborhood

bar in Chicago and loved every minute of it.

[ClaireBidwellSmith]

Thanks for this post, Bahar. Everything you wrote really resonated with me.

I moved to Chicago a year ago after a decade split between Los Angeles and New York City, and one of the first things I noticed about this city was the amount of sports-obsessed girls. I found it really quite surprising and somewhat strange.

I suppose there is nothing wrong with being a girl who is obsessed with baseball or football, but in Chicago it seems born out of the culture more than the girl herself. I've also often wondered how much it has to do with women attempting to relate to men....as I've found the men here to be particularly sports-obsessed themselves.

My brother-in-law is a huge Cubs fan and has already taught his two year old daughter an inordinate amount of baseball phrases. I can't help but cringe every time I hear her cute little voice sputter "Go Cubs," as I picture her twenty years from now fisting some giant plastic cup of light beer as she pushes through the crowd at Duffy's or Mullen's.

Thanks again for speaking up on behalf of our little non-sports-fan girl club!

[MissusMidwest]

You are definitely not alone! This Chicago girl doesn't care much for sports either. I must say that the sports bars you speak of seem to be prevalent in the Wrigleyville/LP/Lakeview area. You don't see as many when you go further west to Bucktown/WickerPark, for example. That's the beauty of city life - there's something for everyone.

[ALulich]

I am very much that "Daddy's little girl puts on her first Cubs (ahem WHITE SOX) hat and root, root, roots for the home team." I failed at dance and gymnastics and excelled at soccer and other boy sports. I was born and raised a White Sox fan, listened to Bulls games in the 90's, will be a Bears fan until I die and have lately tried to take advantage of our less popular sports teams in Chicago like the Fire, Rush and Wolves. I agree that the "sports love affair" continued as I followed Marquette's basketball team (my alma mater) to the Final Four in 2003 because of the awesome sense of pride and community.

I would say that Chicago sports girls are not only that. I like to think of myself as not only a sports girl but a girly-girl as well. I love sports bars and the atmosphere, but would be just as happy with my pinky out drinking wine. I can sit and watch Baseball Tonight, but could be a total waste of space on a Saturday afternoon watching Sex and the City. At the end of the day, I am just as concerned if the Sox are a game back as I am if I remembered to make an appointment to get a manicure.

So, here's to the girls that I can join chugging a beer at the Sox game and sip champagne with at Swirl! :)

[kathyNAM]

I grew up in the city and remember fondly the summer of 69 when my friends and I used to take the Addison bus to Wrigley and sit in the left field bleachers. I was there for "Bra for Brock Day" which was a blast. I'm now a mother of 3 boys and I have watched all 6 Bulls championships, the SuperBowl seasons and because I love the tension of a good game- the exhileration- the highs and the lows of each individual game. I also love the look of surprise and amazement on the faces of men when they realize that a woman knows as much or more about a sport than they do.

[Bahar Takhtehchian - Huffpost Blogger]

Maj61996,
Thanks for your comment and I'm sorry you took it personally, but I think you missed my point--entirely. I wasn't trying to comment on the state of the modern woman. I was simply making the observation that a disproportionate amount of women in this city--compared to most--seem to be big sports fans. And as a woman who is educated, employed and (gasp!) bold enough to blog opinion pieces on the Internet, I feel that I'm actually quite in touch with what it means to be a free-thinking, modern woman today.

[adeakili]

See, that's the part I don't get--the "disproportionate" part. Tell me please, just what is the correct ratio of women who actually understand and enjoy sports to those who don't?

Bahar: "I feel that I'm actually quite in touch with what it means to be a free-thinking, modern woman today." Clearly. Why else would you conclude that female sports fans are only in it for their men?

To answer your question, yes, Bahar, we do genuinely care about the fortunes of our storied teams. We do not simply endure sports to humor our menfolk as you suggest. We love sports because of Rhino, the Penguin, and the Boa; because of MJ, the Bulls, and the Men in Black. The thought of Hester touching the ball gives us goosebumps; the thought Grossman touching it, well.... If you don't get it, that's okay, but don't be down on what you're not up on.

[Maj61996]

I can go to a game and hold my own with every guy there and am in no way a beer guzzling, wing eating slob as you seem to portray sports loving women in this article. Are you really so behind in the feminist movement that women should stay in dresses, sipping fruity drinks at uppity martini bars in order to know thier role? Not to mention that I have been to many of said candlelit lounges where girls are falling all over themselves...this is not a sports bar problem. I am proud to one of the millions of women who are secure enough to not only embarrass the guys by knowing more about baseball, but do so while looking hot and being supremely feminine. You aren't an outsider because you don't like sports..honestly who cares, to each their own...you are an outsider because you are completely out of touch with what it means to be a woman today.

[coolmaiden]

I am one of those girls you describe. However, I didn't grow up in Chicago, just had the good fortune to end up here.
I've only been in a relationship the past three years, and have been doing fantasy football for 8, and have been able to rattle off the infield fly rule since I was about 17, so I can tell you with certainty that I follow sports for the love of the game. The trixies and the Beverly girls, I'm not so sure about. I do know a few born and raised Chicago girls whom actually did sit on daddy's knee and watch the game. I was one of them.
Yes, to me, there's nothing better than watching football in a dingy bar on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, maybe with the window open so I can get a little breeze. I happen to love a good Buffalo wing, but I haven't been able to find one since I left Kansas City (The Peanut-the best wings in the whole world.)