MORAL SPORTSWATCH AND PSEUDO-INTELLECTUALLISM: WOMENS FOOTBALL’S SILENT KILLER

Theres a growing discourse playing out on footballtok which all started when a “self-proclaimed “philosopher of the game” argued that anyone who claims to love football but does not watch womens football, does not like football as much as they think they do. Football counter arguments have been made to reveal why it ignores reality and guilt trips people into how they use their free time. The self-proclaimed philosopher predictably deemed it all as “pedantic” and went on to further explain her philosophical flaw. One interesting comment under one of her videos used a crisp metaphor highlighting why the take might not be as nuanced as she thinks it is;

“You don’t have to enjoy every version of something to be a big fan of it. Does every football fan watch reserve football, beach football, futsal, amputee football, or lower-league football? No. Everyone has their preferences. Not watching one part of the sport doesn’t suddenly make you less of a football fan.”

“I didn’t tell you to enjoy every version, did I?”

“I didn’t say you did. My point is that you’re using one version of football as a test of how big a fan someone is. If that’s the standard, why stop at women’s football? Why not reserve football, youth football, beach football, or lower-league football too etc?”

“It’s not one version. It is all of football as much as men’s football encapsulates all of football. You didn’t eat”

Any literate wouldn’t find it hard to spot the classic pseudo intellectualism trap at the end. I mean, let’s forget about the fact that her main thesis is fundamentally flawed but she simply isn’t consistent enough to keep up with the logic presented to her.

HOW THIS EXPOSES THE FANDOM OF WOMENS FOOTBALL

A vocal segment of women’s football fans have turned the sport into a moral obligation rather than a source of entertainment. It’s become more of a “I am a woman, so I’m mandated to watch every game to be morally superior” rather than a “I’m tired. Lemme use my leisure to watch a good game in women’s football since it releases stress.”

Treating a literal sport like a cause you must support to be a “good person” actually demeans the athletes. The players are elite professionals providing entertainment, not a charity case requiring mandatory viewing hours. The growth of women’s football is now centered around how woke you can be rather than making the game entertaining enough for people to tune in naturally. The community is also very niche, more welcoming to lesbians and queers and is politically centered around the sexual preference movement. As a straight person who wants to take interest in the game, you will absolutely feel this subtle hostility for your sexual preference compared to the club you support. The art of fan rivalry is completely DEAD. It lacks the chaotic spirit that makes football banter interesting. Instead, every fan has to be “polite” and “uniform” “all loving to everyone” every game made a picnic date. It feels less like a universal sporting event and more of an exclusive LGBTQ+ community hub, treating the sport as a safe space first and competitive sport second. Women football fans continue to build a wall around the game, stunt growing the very sport that they claim to champion.

HOW THEY ALL SILENTING KILL THE GAME

BAR CHAT SHOWING THE DIFFERENCE IN ANUAL SALARY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SPORT

The very fans who complain that women footballers aren’t been paid the same as men footballers, refuse to see the reason why it is so financially. They continue to kill commercial viability by gatekeeping the sport and wrongfully shaming casual viewers, actively keeping the audience small. Every sport needs millions of random viewers to secure TV deals and stadium sellouts. It’s quite simple, the higher the mainstream commercial revenue, the higher the players wages. Now investing in a women’s football club feels more of a predictable loss in revenue generation.

The ultra welcoming environment which removes harsh critique and fan passion doesn’t make the case any better. To constantly object credential football analysis and rivalry drama only further creates an audience-to-revenue decay.

FOOTBALL HAS ALWAYS BEEN INHERENTLY POLITICAL BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE WANT TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE WOMENS GAME WE NEED TO TAKE THINGS INTO PERSPETIVE AND CREATE WAYS TO MAKE THINGS MORE ENTERTAINING FOR THE SPORT.