I left quite the lengthy comment on her post. Trust me. I know how that girl feels standing next to Evan Longoria. I have been to Spring Training once in my life. I had my "Evan Longoria moment" with Joe Smith. I was just so completely ... I really can't think of the word for it ... I couldn't take a literal picture, I just have my own memories. Even when I got Mike Pelfrey's autograph at a game this year, I'm so glad my sister was there. She understood I could barely fathom I was standing right next to one of the people I have watched for so long. She was there to take the pictures because it was my moment, and my dad was there when I saw Jeff Francoeur. It was my favorite baseball player live and in person. All of them were so amazing. I watch these guys on TV and now they are standing right in front of me. And they talk to us too! Mike Nickeas uttered half a "wassup" to me and I have never forgotten that moment. I just wanted the chance to be near them. Because I know I probably will never get the chance to do what they're doing.
Because I'm a girl. That means I obviously can't play baseball as well as any boy my age. I can't know more about baseball than any boy my age either. Or any boy any age. I'm a girl so I can't possibly look up to baseball players as the coolest people in the world.
It really sucks being a female baseball fan sometimes. It takes a lot more to prove you really know what you are talking about. It's just assumed you know the rules of the sport and have a big name favorite. It takes saying Xavier Nady or Joe Smith or Mike Pelfrey is your favorite player to show you really watch and follow what it is going on. I doubt I'd get very far telling some guy at school my favorite player is David Wright. They'll just shrug and turn to a guy friend to talk baseball. And that really hurts.
I know that I understand exactly what is going on. I know I can contribute to their conversation. I also know they don't want to give me a chance to join. I want to have somebody to talk baseball with and most the time it's a guy. The friends I hang out with everyday know baseball from what I've told them. They recognize the names I've mentioned many, many times, but they just aren't into the sport. They have their own interests and nod and listen to what I say the same way I would if they were talking about their favorite TV show. It just isn't the conversation I know I can have with a true baseball fan.
If I go on for much longer this post will end up a novel. But I will share the comment I posted:
Wow. I really liked that article. I especially like that I can completely relate to it. My first autograph was at Spring Training in 2008 and I was 14. I remember everything so vividly. And I really remember getting Joe Smith’s autograph. I guess he is my equivalent of Evan Longoria. It was just so amazing. And I didn’t just love every minute of Spring Training because I could look at the players. I loved it because it was baseball.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been left out of a baseball conversation because the boys won’t take the time to listen to a girl. I hate knowing I know just as much as they do (and many times more) and still being left out. It’s just so frustrating that baseball is shown as a sport for little boys to worship while the girls go and do whatever.
I admit, I look at a lot of players for well, their looks. But I am also drawn towards the catchers because I know they are who I can look to and see how they play, because that’s how I want to play on the softball field. Just because a girl likes a player it doesn’t mean it’s because they’re hot. The major league catchers are all where I wish I had the chance to end up. Even though I know it would be a virtually impossible future.
I love baseball. All of it. Watching it, playing it. Everything.
AND I’M A GIRL.
4 comments:
This post may be my favorite of yours. When I went to my first Mets game last year, I saw Bobby Parnell in the outfield warming up. I could hardly breathe. I now have around 41 pictures of his back. And everything about being a girl and liking the sport, it's all so true. I guess I'm trying to say thank you. And apoligize for this extremley long comment.
It's no problem =)
Sometimes it's hard to decide whether to take pictures or just enjoy seeing your favorite player. I have some great pics of players standing around before the inning actually starts because I want to watch them play.
I did the same thing, and yet by the end of the day I had three videos and about 550 pictures. I was excited, needless to say. And I still remember everything so clearly. The whole day I had this weird feeling that I was somewhere bigger than myself. It was.... I don't even know.... Great, for lack of a better word.
This may be irrelevant cause this post is old, but...
We girls are so used to sexism sometimes that we kinda assume others' fandom limits. And bait one another. It's unfortunate.
Post a Comment