Julian Edelman is the latest face of the campaign to get more women involved in sports. He (along with Rob Gronkowski) will be hosting a football clinic for women at Gillette Stadium in October. The clinic will offer insight on football basics in addition to delving into more specialized football skills. A touch football game, question and answer sesh, and photo op will follow.
It seems like these “football clinics” geared toward women are popping up more and more frequently. I personally think it’s great, but you either love the idea or you hate it.
Take The Buc’s Red Campaign from last season: Women and Sports: An Opinion on the new RED Movement. So much hate, so much praise (but mainly hate). Women were on the fence as to whether these femme marketed camps were degrading or inclusive. It seems the league is doing it’s best to welcome women into their football fan club, but the problem is for some they’re still kinda coming off as that sleazy guy in a pub in a, “Here darlin’ let me show you how to hold the pool stick” kind of way.
I think I’ve made my opinion pretty well known on the subject. The simple fact that these events are being hosted (and quickly selling out) is a sign that the NFL is embracing it’s female sports fans (finally). True they are throwing in cocktails and some of the finer players as incentive, but I would gladly take my football knowledge with a side of Edelman and wine. Now if we could just get some well made women’s jerseys we would on top of the world! Seriously someone should look into that.
Women are a growing voice in the sports world and our contributions are invaluable. The only way we are going to be taken more seriously is to support one another both as women and as fans, and not be intimidated if we are treated a little differently. We have to be the change we want to see in the (sports) world. We are one, we are many, we are lovers of all things football.
