Friday 9 November 2007

The Women's Game and Homosexuality

I went to see England's women play a few years back. Against Germany at Selhurst Park. It was good fun, a sunny day, we went to Witherspoons before thematch, and lots of kids were there cheering. The tickets were cheap.

Unfortunately Enguhland lost, but you can't have it all. It won't be the last time England lose to Germany. After the game my flatmate (hi Andy *waves*) said "the problem with the women's game is that they only ever score scrappy goals." Which while there is an element of truth to it is rather harsh I feel. All this got me thinking about why the women's game is so much less popular than the men's.

The women's game is still developing, as every pundit always says. This is not to say that women can't play, or even that they are unskillful. Far from it. But rather that watching women play football is not yet impressed on the psyche. We have been watching men play football, and getting all boisterous about it, for generations. You could even go as far as to say that watching men play football is a huge release of repressed gay energy. I have no evidence of this other than basing it on something Freud wrote, and I am sure the claim would be fervourently denied by the majority of supporters. But there you go. By this logic supporting the women's game, by men supporters, would all be about releasing pent up straight energy, only that heterosexulaity is generally not repressed in our culture (or any culture except maybe the Spartans) , in fact it is actively encouraged. And since women's football is all about skill and tactics, not lap dancing, there are other better ways to cum into your socks if you are repressed, like porn or polegirating.

The suggestion of Sepp Blatter, a few years back, that women should play in bikinis is not really helpful. And not to be taken seriously. The best bet for the game to enter into public consciousness would be more time on TV, and, for school kids to play the game together. Unisex games up until the age of 12. That way we would get used to watching women play from a young age. The men's and women's world cups could be held simultaneously. With the women starting the week before, and the knockouts being held on the off days. This would place the game on the same cultural parallel.

So, in defence of the women's game, I think it is a welcome development, and nothing hinders our enjoyment of it other than in-built cultural prejudice. Or, more debatedly, that all men fans are secretly gay and just like watching the boys. ...

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2 comments:

Jason said...

There's also viewers like myself who only watch the high-level encounters between the superpowers. I've watched the Premiership for years and am quite proud of having skipped the chance to watch any of the mid-level teams contesting three points. There's no reason for anybody but the partisan to watch Aston Villa play Middlesborough for instance.

With regard to the women's game, watching Brazil was great, including the play-acting, but I am somebody who will have to wait until there is a concentration of quality women footballers to provide me with the aesthetic delight I prize. That this situation will need to be brought about by partisan footsoldiers is fine with me.

Jason said...

As a post script, i will watch the superpowers against lower teams. Tonight it is Arsenal vs Reading for example and I am happy to watch for the chance to see Arsenal's football, while Reading are doomed to disappear utterly from my consciousness the moment the game ends.