Why start this blog? Hmmm, good question. For a lot of reasons I guess, most of all for fun. Actually, truth be told, there are three reasons why I started this blog.
- Because most of us really are “Pink Hat Fans” – There’s a place for a sports blog that recognizes sports as one dimension in the bustle of our overflowing lives.
- I want to remind and encourage my still very young daughter to not shy away from areas and interests typically dominated by men.
- I’ll be opening my already big mouth a little wider here, and in the process, I hope I can do a little good for causes I support.
Because I am pretty long-winded by nature, and don’t want to chase you away too fast, today I’ll just focus on why I named this blog “Pink Hat Sports”.
Here’s the thing. The term “Pink Hat Fan” isn’t a compliment; I know that. It’s a term coined by certain sports fans and sports radio DJs, and it most likely originated in Boston. Officially, at least according to Wikipedia’ s Glossary of Baseball, a “Pink Hat Fan” is:
“A fan of a team who is perceived to be merely ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ as opposed to a more loyal, knowledgeable fan (of either gender). This term comes from the alternate pink caps that are sometimes worn by female fans. A “pink hat” is not necessarily a female fan, nor do they all literally wear pink hats.”
“Pink Hat Fans” are dismissed as folks who are simply warming the seats for the real fans who deserve them more.
Though some will go to great pains to tell you that this term is not a sexist stereotype. Let’s be serious; I think it’s safe to say that less than 2% of men at a Red Sox game are wearing a pink hats. Ask a “real fan” to draw a picture of a “Pink Hat Fan” and I guarantee they won’t draw a picture of a chubby guy with 5 o’clock shadow sitting at the bar, with a beer in one hand and handful of (pea)nuts in the other.
So there you have it; according to common wisdom a “Pink Hat Fan” is a waste of a good ticket to the game. Certain sports-radio personalities have a lot of fun with this. They profile some unwitting (and coincidentally female) fan outside the park who has clearly had a few pregame cocktails, and engage in their own “Jaywalking“-like comedy bit. And I know, it’s “all in good fun,” and sometimes it does get me to chuckle, but it still sort of bugs me too.
My take? I like sports; I love the Boston teams (the Red Sox and Patriots in particular). I’ll also admit that I don’t know as much about the players and nuances of the game as some do, especially the folks who get paid for it. I also like to wear pink hats, AND THAT’S OK.
The long and the short of it is this: male or female, there are very few of us who get paid to stay on top of every bit of sporting news, or who even want to. I don’t know about you, but turning on sports radio is NOT the first thing I do when I get in the car. We all have lives outside of spectator sports. We have spouses, families, pets, jobs, meetings, reports to write, lawns to mow, Little League games to watch, dance recitals to attend, and parent-teacher conferences. Some of us even have hobbies. With all of this, most if us can really only manage to be casual fans, so most of us must also be “Pink Hat Fans”.
We Can't All Be Diehards
The truth is, a little bit of sports knowledge goes a long way. If you know about at just one game played last night, the score and maybe a stellar play (for color), you have yourself an icebreaker, and the skeleton key to credibility in any sports discussion. It gives you with an immediate connection with your kid’s soccer coach or that client you’re trying to impress. A tidbit or two of sports trivia can even get you through that miserable cocktail party at your brother-in-law’s neighbor’s parent’s house (just don’t forget to bring that bottle of wine).
John Steinbeck once wrote “Sports get into everything.” He was right, of course. It’s part if the fabric of our lives, but it is not everything. That’s why there is a place for this simple little blog, with just enough information to be useful, but not enough to weigh you down.
And, like the Red Sox lineup, this is all a work-in-progress. So don’t be shy, let me know what you’re thinking!
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