There is a person who loves football. They wear their favorite team's jersey and hat, they yell at the TV during games, they feel the gut-wrenching agony of a loss, they are on top of the world when their team wins, and the Superbowl is one of their favorite days of the year. Now, imagine another person. They love table top gaming, Magic the Gathering, cosplay, comic books, and attend conventions.
I'm going to go ahead and guess that some of you assumed two things:
1. These are two different people
2. They are guys
If you guessed that, then you'd be wrong on both accounts. In fact, that person I described is me. I've been a football fan (Cheese Head 'til I die) for as long as I can remember, and I've been a nerd/geek probably for just as long (though thanks to social constructs I embraced one before the other). In this article I want to address these two points, starting with what I call; The Black and White Fan Phenomena.
Think of your stereotypical nerd, and then think of your stereotypical sports fan. You probably picture the nerd as a gawky, uncoordinated goofy looking guy in glasses; and you more than likely see the sports fan as a grunting, beer pong playing, ya-dude. You more than likely, would not picture them as the same person; and why would you? For decades TV and movies has depicted the sports fan as the one who beats up the nerd; and the nerd as the one who outsmarts or tutors the sports fan. The nerd depicted as getting into sports is there for comic relief; he only understands sports through complicated mathematical equations. The sports fan getting into "nerdy" things is an after affect of a dare, or a way to get closer to that smart kid in class so they can pass the test.
The two have always been seen as separate entities, and a lot of times they are. I've come across many a comments about how sports were, "barbaric" and how the nerds typing "didn't get the fuss." I've also seen comments making fun of people for playing Dungeons and Dragons or collecting Pokemon cards. The sports fan make fun of the nerd for dressing up as comic book characters; the nerd make fun of the sports fan for being loud and rowdy. Here's something for both sides to consider.
Sports Fan: Goes to a game with his face painted and wearing his team's colors from head to toe; stands in line to score tickets for a playoff game; hangs out in a bar talking sports and celebrating with friends; spends time perfecting his fantasy team.
Nerd/Geek: Goes to a convention dressed as her favorite comic book character; stands in line at a book store to buy the next installment of her favorite series; hangs out in a coffee shop discussing science with friends; spends time perfecting her level fourteen Mage.
Let's take away specifics shall we? Now you have two people who; get dressed up to celebrate their passion, get excited about a new release having to do with their passion, hang with like-minded people in a place of their passion, and pretend to be someone else in a fantasy based game.
Hmm, the two don't sound so different; now do they?
And now, my friends, I come to my second point: No Girls Allowed.
Chances are this whole time I've been describing the nerd and the sports fan, you have been picturing a guy, even when I used the word "her" during my nerd/geek description (more specifically a cis-gender male; but that's another article). Don't worry, you aren't alone. Do a Google search for, "fake geek girl" and you will either see stories speaking out against this insane idea, or you will see male gatekeepers guarding the entrance to the He Man Woman Haters Nerd Club. Now do a search for either "female sports fan" or "female football fan." When you do you will likely be hit with photos of half naked women sticking their chests out while holding signs declaring their sexual desire for their favorite player. You'll see women looking oh-so-adorable in skimpy outfits next to their boyfriends. You will basically see how a lot of society views the female sports fan.
As a both a female nerd/geek and a female sports fan I am at an incredible disadvantage in society. Now before you start getting all uppity with your, #notallmen hash tags, no I am not talking every single member of the cis-gender male species. Calm down.
Don't know the detailed back story of your favorite comic book character? Can't name what issue the big bad wore his black uniform instead of red? Did you get interested in a comic through a movie? Are you female? Then you're a fake geek girl!
Don't know every statistic of your favorite player? Confused about a call in a game? Don't know who played QB for your favorite football team in 1963? Are you a female? Then you're a fake female sports fan!
As both a so-called "fake" geek girl and "fake" female sports fan we are met with countless microsagressions. According to This Article, "The theory of microaggressions was developed back in the 70′s to denote racial stereotyping, but was expanded by psychologist Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. in 2007 to encompass a wide variety and classifications of these subtle and seemingly harmless expressions that communicate "hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults" toward people who aren't members of the ingroup. These outgroup members might include women, racial/ethnic minorities, LBGT members, and others historically marginalized in our community." What are some examples of microagressions in this context?
Did you boyfriend get you into comics?
You know a lot about Batman for a girl.
Wow! A chick who likes sports. Hot!
Does your brother teach you about the calls?
The list goes on. The point is each microagression assumes that the female fan cannot be a fan without either an introduction from or the help of a male. Female geeks are seen as slutty cosplayers who just want to show off their boobs; and female sports fans are seen as adorable accessories for their boyfriends.
A girl who's introduced to a video game by her male friend? "How cute! She got into the game for him!"
A guy who's introduced to a video game by his male friend? "Awesome! His buddy got him into kick ass game. Sweet!"
A girl who can't name every statistic about a player? "Are you even a real fan, honey?"
A guy who can't name every statistic about a player? "Bro, that stuff doesn't matter did you see my fantasy score!"
Obviously there are exceptions and not everyone thinks like this, but as I said before I am not talking about every single person. Generalizing in this context just makes for a much easier written article. Really, I'd be here all week if I dissected every single geek/sports fan interaction based on sex/gender. Hell, I could throw in age too; but I'm pretty sure you readers don't want a twenty page article.
So what does the fake geek guy look like? Take a look at this Tumblr. What do you see? Why your stereotypical "jock"! These men don't belong in geekdom! They belong in sports! And what about the male who does not spend all his time in the gym and hanging out at bars? Why he's not a real sports fan! Real sports fans are manly men!
See how this all comes full circle?
In order to be a real fan you must not only look a certain way, but you also must pass an arbitrary quiz based on your sex/gender set forth by the gate keepers of whatever fandom (yes, I consider sports a fandom) you are trying to enter. Want to be taken seriously as a sports fan? Better not look like a nerd! Want to be taken seriously as a nerd? Better not look like a jock! And in either case you should probably just give up if you're female.
I'm what I consider an eclectanerd. Instead of knowing a lot about a couple of things, I know a little about a lot of things (though some nerdy things I know more about than others). Does it make me less of a geek/nerd because I can't tell you the entirety of Batman's time line? Nope, it just means that I enjoy spreading my nerdy wings in Geeklandia.
I've been a Green Bay Packers fan since I was about 13 years old. I can't name every single player on the team, I have no idea who played QB between Bart Starr and Brett Favre, and I probably wouldn't get to far in a technical conversation about football. But I dare you to say I'm not a "real" football/Packers fan.
Moral of the story, kids? The geeks and the jocks are not as different as you may think, worlds can and do collide, and we need to take our gender stereotypes out of fandom.
By the way, one last thing. I wrote this article wearing a Doctor Who shirt and Packers hoodie. A female representing something nerdy and sporty? Now doesn't that just wreck your little cookie cutter world?
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