With women accounting for 45 percent of the NFL’s 150 million fans, it makes sense that NFL teams would jump at the chance to capitalize on the spending power of ladies who love football. But as recent headlines tell us, official fan clubs for ladies could actually be hurting the sports environment for the largely influential demographic.
Though these types of clubs don't appeal to all ladies, I do see a large benefit with their programming.
For example, the Colts Women’s Club designs their fan club as more of an exclusive experience rather than a learning program, saying, “…Members will receive VIP treatment that includes high quality merchandise, exclusive experiences, and a forum to stay involved with the team and each other through Facebook and private events…. Meet new friends of all ages that share a common bond through their passion and enthusiasm for their favorite NFL team…”
This type of club doesn't have a demeaning tone, but rather offers up an experience package that could help increase a fan’s passion for their beloved team and promote camaraderie with women who have similar interests. And given the atmosphere at many NFL games, the appeal of a club like this is easy to see, for casual and super fans alike.
Yet, with the good comes the bad. In 2012, the Rams sent out a tweet, only calling out female fans and their lack of understanding for the game.
Any female #Rams fans want to learn more about the finer points of football? Sign up for #Rams Football Academy today: http://t.co/WgjT375v
— St. Louis Rams (@STLouisRams) September 6, 2012More recently, the Buccaneers were scrutinized for their women’s movement entitled "RED." The theory of the fan club was great, but with the Buccaneers press release (which was taken down from their website) describing the club as helping to "educate attendees on the art of incorporating their passion for the Bucs into their other lifestyle interests such as tailgating and home entertaining," many fans quickly reacted, and not in a positive way.
A recent study by Vocativ showed there are some teams where the female portion of the fan base is actually larger than that of their male counterparts. The Steelers, Packers and Patriots all have more women in their fan bases than men.
These teams don't feature a fan club, per se. Instead they hold events throughout the year such as a ‘Ladies Night Out’ or a 'Women’s Training Camp,’ where women get the opportunity to run through a practice like the players. These events have routinely sold out, even with a price tag similar to a yearlong fan club membership.
The first team to have a women's fan club was the Ravens, who started theirs in 2007. In just the past five years alone, the NFL has created number women’s affinity clubs, including the Broncos, Texans, Colts, Chargers, 49ers, Titans, Jaguars, Redskins, and most recently, the Buccaneers.
Using the Colts and Bucs as examples, it's clear there is a right and wrong way to have fan clubs specifically for women. The right way? Treat your female fans like real fans, because that's what they are. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to a demographic that ranges in NFL knowledge and having a fan club to do so, but there’s a way to do that without being degrading or insulting.
There are teams in the league that do a fantastic job of allowing women to become more familiar with the game or to enjoy a more comfortable atmosphere than the typical game day experience offers. It's possible to create events or clubs where fans of all degrees can co-exist and allow their passion for the game to flourish together.
Women are categorized as the primary household purchaser, but being the typical spenders doesn’t somehow translate to women needing a club to tell them what a play clock is. A 2014 study showed that the NFL's growth was because of women alone. The league should consider itself fortunate to be in the this position following the repeated mishandling of domestic violence cases.
Fostering women as NFL fans can be a profitable enterprise as the league aims for lofty profit goals, but only if NFL teams choose to do it the right and respectful way.