why i watch women's football
with the world cup coming in 6 days, i thought i would shed some light on why i follow women's football and debunk some myths as well.
the number one reason why i follow the women's game is because i think it reminds me of a time when football is a sport, a passion, and not an obscenely-bloated circus.
most of the players juggle a day job and football. that's really passion and commitment for you.
some people say that the standard is poor. well, there are different levels. i would advise those people to watch a team like olympique lyonnaise. frankly, players like necib and abily will kick our balls.
some people say women's football is boring. i find man utd boring. and i am not talking about their ladies' team, because they havent even got one.
the women's game is less based on power. it looks slower. that is true. but i think you can better appreciate the technical and tactical aspects of the game.
so all in all, i don't believe the women's game is any less entertaining.
what i do like is that there is very little play-acting. watching some barcelona players really put me to shame. and to think the sacked sexist sky commentators could make the comments that they made?
the girls just get on with the game.
unfortunately, much as i would wish otherwise, there are player struggles and players forcing moves.
what is different from the men's game however is that there are only 3 reasons: money, another challenge and disagreement with the coach/club
these 3 reasons in the women'S game are acceptable to me, even if i may not be happy about some of the moves. let me explain.
money: you must understand that there is really very little money in the women's game, and if they can go to the WPS in america to play professionally in a 'super league' (even if in my opinion, it is a mickey mouse league, but more on that later), they will jump at the opportunity. i won't call them greedy, because the money they are getting is what someone else doing a normal job would be receiving, not the obscene amount the men get.
another challenge: again the WPS where they have succeeded in attracting some top players from around the world. seriously when you are kelly smith or camille abily, playing in a league where you go into every game knowing you are going to win..you are going to need a new challenge.
conflicts: happens quite a lot in the german game.
the major difference i think is that agents don't really play a very big role in transfer dealings. which is really good, because i have realised that agents are the ones who fill the players' heads with silly ideas for their own interests. agents have their own interests first, then the players'. let's don't kid ourselves that the order is the other way round. so it's less of a circus in terms of transfer dealings.
the players whom i have seen moved on from arsenal ladies to the WPS all moved on because they needed a new challenge and better wages. much as i am disappointed by the departures, i really can't fault them for that when you look at the state of the game in england.
of course, with the new Super League, they are looking to change that.
why i think the WPS is a mickey mouse league:
there are only 6 or 7 teams. sorry, franchises. and they really come and go at such a frequent rate that i am no longer sure which are the franchises still in the league.
and boston breakers play their home games on an american football pitch. what an insult.
the fact is that aside from some dodgy dealings that are always present in american sports (such as the draft pick system, which i still don't quite understand), they do have infrastructure in the sense that the game is well-supported, there is tv coverage, there is sponsorship, there is a certain standard of football.
in europe, the only leagues that can be considered comparable are the WSL and the Frauenbundesliga.
i am not even sure if the lyon players will stay at lyon, now that they have fulfilled their ambition of being european champions.
lara dickenmann is wanted by turbine potsdam(ironically the very same team she helped lyon defeat in the final). why would she want to go there? because the level of competition is much higher in germany than in france, where lyon won all 22 of their games this season.
so, lest i digress into a lengthy tract arguing for the formation of a European Super League as a better alternative to the WPS, i shall reiterate that some unpleasant stuff happens in women's football off the pitch, but they are not as absurd as what we get in men's football, and thoroughly understandable.
on the pitch, the games are more affordable and sometimes even more entertaining. but you always know that the players out there are playing because they love the game, and not strutting about like spoilt brats or rolling around like wussies.
i think it is great that germany is hosting the world cup, because women's football is big here, so the players will be cheered on by big crowds. it is something they deserve, really, having been so put down by some people.
as i said, some of these girls can really kick your balls, so you ought to show them some respect.
the number one reason why i follow the women's game is because i think it reminds me of a time when football is a sport, a passion, and not an obscenely-bloated circus.
most of the players juggle a day job and football. that's really passion and commitment for you.
some people say that the standard is poor. well, there are different levels. i would advise those people to watch a team like olympique lyonnaise. frankly, players like necib and abily will kick our balls.
some people say women's football is boring. i find man utd boring. and i am not talking about their ladies' team, because they havent even got one.
the women's game is less based on power. it looks slower. that is true. but i think you can better appreciate the technical and tactical aspects of the game.
so all in all, i don't believe the women's game is any less entertaining.
what i do like is that there is very little play-acting. watching some barcelona players really put me to shame. and to think the sacked sexist sky commentators could make the comments that they made?
the girls just get on with the game.
unfortunately, much as i would wish otherwise, there are player struggles and players forcing moves.
what is different from the men's game however is that there are only 3 reasons: money, another challenge and disagreement with the coach/club
these 3 reasons in the women'S game are acceptable to me, even if i may not be happy about some of the moves. let me explain.
money: you must understand that there is really very little money in the women's game, and if they can go to the WPS in america to play professionally in a 'super league' (even if in my opinion, it is a mickey mouse league, but more on that later), they will jump at the opportunity. i won't call them greedy, because the money they are getting is what someone else doing a normal job would be receiving, not the obscene amount the men get.
another challenge: again the WPS where they have succeeded in attracting some top players from around the world. seriously when you are kelly smith or camille abily, playing in a league where you go into every game knowing you are going to win..you are going to need a new challenge.
conflicts: happens quite a lot in the german game.
the major difference i think is that agents don't really play a very big role in transfer dealings. which is really good, because i have realised that agents are the ones who fill the players' heads with silly ideas for their own interests. agents have their own interests first, then the players'. let's don't kid ourselves that the order is the other way round. so it's less of a circus in terms of transfer dealings.
the players whom i have seen moved on from arsenal ladies to the WPS all moved on because they needed a new challenge and better wages. much as i am disappointed by the departures, i really can't fault them for that when you look at the state of the game in england.
of course, with the new Super League, they are looking to change that.
why i think the WPS is a mickey mouse league:
there are only 6 or 7 teams. sorry, franchises. and they really come and go at such a frequent rate that i am no longer sure which are the franchises still in the league.
and boston breakers play their home games on an american football pitch. what an insult.
the fact is that aside from some dodgy dealings that are always present in american sports (such as the draft pick system, which i still don't quite understand), they do have infrastructure in the sense that the game is well-supported, there is tv coverage, there is sponsorship, there is a certain standard of football.
in europe, the only leagues that can be considered comparable are the WSL and the Frauenbundesliga.
i am not even sure if the lyon players will stay at lyon, now that they have fulfilled their ambition of being european champions.
lara dickenmann is wanted by turbine potsdam(ironically the very same team she helped lyon defeat in the final). why would she want to go there? because the level of competition is much higher in germany than in france, where lyon won all 22 of their games this season.
so, lest i digress into a lengthy tract arguing for the formation of a European Super League as a better alternative to the WPS, i shall reiterate that some unpleasant stuff happens in women's football off the pitch, but they are not as absurd as what we get in men's football, and thoroughly understandable.
on the pitch, the games are more affordable and sometimes even more entertaining. but you always know that the players out there are playing because they love the game, and not strutting about like spoilt brats or rolling around like wussies.
i think it is great that germany is hosting the world cup, because women's football is big here, so the players will be cheered on by big crowds. it is something they deserve, really, having been so put down by some people.
as i said, some of these girls can really kick your balls, so you ought to show them some respect.
1 Comments:
I liked this post.:)
I'm trying to get into women's football myself, and it's such an uphill struggle. All of the male football fans I know just inherited their teams from their fathers, and have been learning this stuff from childhood. I've had to decide to take an interest and learn about leagues and whatnot all by myself.:/
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