The Morning Offering - May 6, 2005

Written by Dr Furious on May 06, 2005

Where the ladies at, where the ladies at? This morning offering is dedicated to the ladies who participate in all things fantasy. I know that most women do not find the prospect of roto sports appealing, but there are a few out there. Let me begin the offering with a little anecdote on why I am writing about this subject.

I was hanging out with my Simmons College peoples last Friday. The night progressed far past the evening and into the early morning. When leaving Simmons (at 3 am or thereafter) you have to go past the main security desk with someone who attends the college to exit the campus. As I passed the front desk, and the girl who was seated there, I noticed that she was on a website that I was all too familiar with. I could spot the yahoo fantasy webpage a mile away. I engaged the girl in a brief conversation, and gave her a couple of jabs to test her knowledge. I was quite impressed as the girl named the entire Mets lineup 1-8. She went on to remark how she was surprised that the Red Sox did not resign Pedro Martinez, opening the door for the Mets to land the ace. While the girl may not have been able to Minnesota’s starting shortstop (Jason Bartlett) or Detroit’s starting centerfielder (Nook Logan), she clearly demonstrated a fairly adequate knowledge of sports and fantasy sports.

Why don’t more women participate?
Well I think the answer to this question is fairly obvious. While female awareness and participation in athletics is on the rise in recent years, most women are not the dorks that guys are. That’s right, I said it. Guys are dorks when it comes to sports. We fall in love with our local franchises and comb box scores. We head to Modell’s, Champs, and Foot Locker to purchase sports apparel representing our favorite teams. We buy the MLB, NBA, NHL, and March Madness packages from cable and satellite networks at exorbitant prices. Guys do this because many of us played sports in junior high and high school, and we understand and appreciate how talented professionals are. We do this because it is what our father’s have done before us. It does not seem strange, weird, or … dorky because our family and friends do the same thing. There is not a long-standing tradition, no rite of passage for women when it comes to sports. Women who are in to sports usually have to figure it out on their own and they are (for the most part) not as fanatical as guys are.

More Women in Fantasy Leagues
So on this hate-free Friday, Furious would like to appeal to the ladies. I think that we need more women involved in fantasy sports. I would like to see Yahoo, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, and any other fantasy sport vendors create leagues that targeted the ladies. I think if there were a WNBA fantasy sport league, maybe more women would participate. Furious is not a fantasy golf expert, so I am unsure if leagues can be established based on results for the LPGA. If this is not the case, then that should be done too. These leagues would be instrumental in getting women involved in fantasy sports, and give ladies the confidence and skills to participate in the more traditional, man-dominated fantasy sports.

Well folks, I think I’ll wrap it up there. If anyone from ESPN and Yahoo would like to hire a brother and set these plans in motion, send me an email at DOCFURY@ ROTOGODS.COM. I can put together a marketing team and statistical data on the growth potential for female participation in fantasy sports. I think what it all boils down to is this: I would not be upset at all if I dated a cute girl that needed to use the computer because she absolutely had to put in a waiver wire claim for Ben Gordon. In fact, I think that would be pretty damn cool. Enjoy your Friday people.

-- Written by Dr Furious on May 06, 2005