The NFL kindly reminds everyone that some women actually really love football

Condoleezza Rice and I have very few things in common, but here is one thing we can probably break bread over without too much shouting: NFL football. Good gravy, do we both love football. (And from the looks of the jersey she's wearing, we share a predilection for wide receivers.) But even while we may differ on teams -- Rice is a Cleveland Browns fan, I bleed blue for the New York Giants -- at least we both be sure of one thing: the NFL is recognizing its lady fans more and more, like in its latest ad campaign featuring the former Secretary of State and several other notable gridiron girls. I won't say it's been impossible to find women's apparel in actual team colors (rather than pink and/or covered in glitter), because it's quite available and becoming easier to find all the time. But nothing annoys me more than the commercials that perpetuate the stereotypes of by portraying a bunch of dudes "getting ready for the game" while their hapless "football widows" go make them snacks. Thanks, but some of us female humans are actually more interested in watching that game ourselves (and eating those snacks). Like me and Condi. (Good luck with your Browns, LOL.)

So, thank you, NFL, for rolling out this new ad featuring a variety of women who love the game and are ready to wear the team colors in shirts that were made for them. As someone who likes sports and doesn't care who knows, I find this awesome.

Condoleezza Rice models Cleveland Browns jersey in NFL ad [AdWeek]

When she isn't nerding out that the holidays are coming, Jamie is a reader at Monday Night Fan Fiction at Fontana's in Chinatown, NYC (next date: TBA, 7:00 PM). All work is original, written by the readers, so if you have a brilliant fanfic idea stuck in your head, send it via Twitter: @jamielikesthis

MORE: football • nfl

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

Teller

More to like – this year, a woman is reffing.
- http://BrianEaston.net/ Brian Easton
  
  Well, she’s reffing until the regular reffs get their contract sorted out.
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  Still waiting and hoping for a female left tackle.
http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/ tristan eldritch

Wow, I’d say Gaddafi would have paid a small fortune to add that snap to his collection back in the day .
mattcornell

Condi Rice is a war criminal.
- kP
  
  And like any other criminal, she likes her football.
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  And she is paying some of her debt by being a Browns fan, something I would not wish on my worst enemy. Oh Condy….
EH

Whew, I thought the NFL might be running out of fans.
millie fink

But even while we may differ on teams — Rice is a Cleveland Browns fan, I bleed blue for the New York Giants — at least we both be sure of one thing…

I really hope that’s a typo.
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  My mocabulary isn’t inept enough to even define if that’s a typo.
  
  (Football nerds get this)
cj howeareya

I like this image, where she’s standing off to the side and her body language is saying “Yeah… I don’t know these people…”
http://www.adweek.com/files/adfreak/images/NFL%20Group.jpg
- http://celesteagnes.blogspot.com/ Sekino
  
  I’m surprised there hasn’t been a thought-bubble contest… yet.
  - Donald Petersen
    
    I’m wondering if the photographer didn’t at least halfheartedly try to coax Dr. Rice into mirroring Peta Murgatroyd’s Packer-tastic pose.
    
    I betcha Madeleine Albright woulda gone for it.
http://profile.yahoo.com/FU2OPOHCEUXWH5ZBKK7LAZ64M4 iix

Okay, I’m no longer considering myself a Dolphins fan either. I’m now a “Limited Partner”. Perfect.

EDIT: And nearly all of those ladies are not notable.
ChicagoD

Turns out that women’s money spends exactly the same as men’s money. Huh. Who knew?
http://twitter.com/MattDLarsen Matt Larsen

It seems like a large portion of these ladies are in fact the wives or daughters of owners of NFL football teams. It kind of implies that they couldn’t find enough celebrities to be in these ads so they had to enlist their family. Conclusion: there are not enough women interested in football to fill an ad campaign unless the wives and daughters of football team owners are made to participate.
- ChicagoD
  
  I am pretty sure I could fill this ad with Bears, Rams, and Packers fans as long as they didn’t have to be celebrities. Also, Packer fans are of questionable hygiene.
  - IronEdithKidd
    
    Hey, ChicagoD, can you guess what Packers fans say about Bears fans?
    
    In tribal pursuits, ad hominem is a two-way street.
  - Quiche de Resistance
    
    What them cheesed up lasses lack in hygiene (a dubious claim to be sure) they make up for in enthusiasm.
    
    *ahem*
    
    Enthusiasm for packer football. I mean.
    
    Of course.
    
    But they don’t call em the packers for nothing.
- Cheddar
  
  I think it implies that they are trying to help out the careers of their wives and daughters likely trying to break into modeling/acting/etc. Yes, I am stereotyping, but otherwise I would presume they would pick real women fans.
Cheddar

By some women, they mean some daughters/wives of team owners, athletes, and a few prominent rich women love football…
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/koocheekoo/ Koocheekoo
  
  I am none of the above and a long time Green Bay Packers fan. Not sure what point you are making. Looking forward to football season. Glad they are airing the pre-season games now too. I am ready for some football!
  - Cheddar
    
    Did they ask you to model? The point was if someone is trying to make the point that some women love football, they probably should choose women that don’t likely have ulterior motives and choose from the many women that actually love the game. Otherwise, it comes across as disingenuous.
    
    I am sure there were guys that loved the WNBA too. But if they promoted it by picking the husbands/sons of owners, male athletes, and prominent rich men all of whom likely just wanted to be in the public eye, I would find the ad campaign just as lame.
    
    Obviously most advertising implies some disbelief in the authenticity of the person selling whatever product since they are being paid, but I think for ads like this it is more important. Oddly, Condoleeza Rice comes across as one of the more authentic folks in this ad campaign IMHO.
    
    Best of luck with your team!
  - Quiche de Resistance
    
    “Glad they are airing the pre-season games now too.”
    
    I don’t know if this means you are such a big fan that you watch these useless exercises or you just like bad football.
http://twitter.com/Moriash Nathan

And, on the other side of the coin, there are a quite few men who would rather hit themselves repeatedly in the forehead with a ball peen hammer than sit in the same room with a football broadcast. But, of course, those are just the girly men who sit around drinking Evian and talking about their feelings. Certainly not me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wrassle a bear and drink some rotgut, manly man that I am. Yeah, that’s it.
- PaulDavisTheFirst
  
  do you want to get together after my swim/bike/run workout and we can talk about physics while we make snacks for the laaaadies ?
- Ipo
  
  We can hang out.
  I may do it. I don’t often watch other people do it.
- Donald Petersen
  
  Personally, I’d rather watch football than hit myself in the head with any kind of hammer. But I’d rather do a half-dozen loads of laundry, change the oil in my wife’s car, and paint the bathroom than watch football.
  - Donald Petersen
    
    Now, give me a Godzilla marathon, and that laundry will pile up for days…
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    I’d watch MMA or boxing. You don’t want to know what I’d do with the hammer.
Gekko_Gecko

She likes football?

Then why the odd looking soccer uniform?
Scott Rubin

Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants

INTERNET FIST BUMP
- http://profile.yahoo.com/BUSYAWMRBZOVHLEA566TYPDBKM D
  
  First and only
cubejockey

As Cleveland resident….godammit why us….
- mccrum
  
  It is a Temple of Sadness.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000444450214 Genre Slur

Ladies make a significant demographic of CFL followers. Truly Canadian Girls, Stompin’ Tom might say. Yay, Stampeders!
pjcamp

If Condoleeza Rice is for it, I’m agin it.
rattypilgrim

Antinous, you’ve decried how so many articles become political diatribes where the story gets lost in arguments that don’t convince either side of changing their views. But, here we have Condi Rice’s (war criminal) photo headlining a story about women who love football. I must say I’m surprised there hasn’t been more vitriol aimed at her. I would have thought she would be the worst example, but maybe there’s a hidden message?
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  I think that most of our commenters regard any sports reference as a PTSD trigger and are pretending that this isn’t here.
  - rattypilgrim
    
    I guess you’re probably right. You’re saying involvement (on a viewer’s level)t in sports is a way of denying or side stepping various problems, social, personal, etc…at least that’s how I’ve seen how it works.
redrobot25

yet another reason to love the Broncos.
Halloween_Jack

You know who else was a football fan?
- http://profile.yahoo.com/BUSYAWMRBZOVHLEA566TYPDBKM D
  
  Prezels?
tw1515tw

Growing up in the UK, most of us don’t get American football, and why someone would want to watch an few hours worth of TV adverts interrupted by a odd minute of people in crash helmets and padding running and throwing a ball. Millions of Americans do love it, the Aussies love Rugby League football, the Kiwis Rugby Union football, so I guess it’s down to what you were brought up with.

The female audience is a big part of soccer and rugby in the UK, and nearly every club will have replica shirts in a ladies cut (tighter around the hips). I heard women comment on the men’s legs and short shorts, but it’s more likely they just like the excitement of the sport itself. The female audience really became noticeable during the Italia 90 soccer world cup, and when stadia were made more family friendly.
tw1515tw

Some european teams have played in pink
Everton and Palermo in soccer
Stade Francais and Harlequins in rugby union
Harlequins RL and Leeds Rhinos in Rugby League

It’s either a statement on reclaiming pink for men, or a way to encourage more ladies to buy replica kits.
- Teller
  
  Sometimes it’s for breast cancer.
blueelm

And then there are us women who do not love football and somehow ALSO would not ever find themselves making snacks for hubby during the “big game” and… I dunno insert something from a movie. Wow, it’s almost like there’s more than two states of existence here!
The Squidboy

Why has no one mentioned NFL-football superfan and cultural icon Camille Paglia yet?

Camille would mop the floor with that prissy Condi Rice.
http://www.facebook.com/teleny Alissa Mower Clough

As one of my favorite books states “Get your Own Damn Beer, I’m Watching the Game!”
Cory Trevor

I thought it was quite obvious that women were a big part of the football audience by the super bowl halftime musical acts. Oh hey its Madonna!
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  That was the best halftime show in years. Totally fun. Also, I’ve loved MIA’s music for years and I knew she was crazy hot but I didn’t know her legs were five feet long. Mrowr!
http://www.facebook.com/clesoine Charlie Lesoine

This is relevant to my interests. Oh wait. No.