In order to avoid accusations of sexism and misogyny – perish the thought, love – I have so far refrained from commenting on the Women’s World Cup, currently taking place ‘down under’ (there I go again). Discretion, I felt, was the better part of valour, or perhaps it was rank cowardice that led me to keep my thoughts to myself? Today, I move onto shaky ground and ask the following question: is there anybody out there who cares?
I ask the question because in my social circle, as well as on social media, no one has even mentioned the tournament. I realise that this could be more of a reflection on my echo chamber where I am accustomed largely to hearing and reading points of view that aren’t a million miles from my own. We were out with friends yesterday afternoon and to be fair matters of a sporting nature were scarcely mentioned, other than what was happening in the final test match between England and Australia and Bristol Rovers vital pre season match against Chesterfield.
At this point, I should point out that I am not in any way opposed to women’s sports. I am a keen viewer of women’s golf, athletics, tennis and beach volleyball – sorry, I couldn’t resist – and I am strongly supportive of all sports being accessible to all, which clearly they aren’t at the moment. And I am certainly in favour of events like the Women’s World Cup being all across the media. It’s just that I am not particularly interested, possibly in the same way that I am not interested in Star Wars, Victoria Wood and Mrs Brown’s Boys. It’s just not for me. Hopefully, the current saturation coverage on terrestrial television will boost participation levels among girls and women and indeed boys and men. I know it is A Good Thing.
Actually, the viewing figures for the England games have been quite impressive, with 4.2 million tuning into the Lionesses game against Haiti. Given that the viewing figures for the allegedly massively popular This Morning rarely get near 1 million and often sink down to the 500,000s, this is not to be sniffed at. Someone, well 4.2 million someones, are far more interested than I am.
Indeed, when the Lionesses won the European Championships last year, my social media was alive with people going to games and celebrating their victory. Perhaps because this tournament – only the World Cup, mind – is being played on the other side of the world and being shown when most people are at work, that’s why the interest appears to be more limited?
I fear I may be missing out on something, although I could be the awkward rebel in me railing against what I feel, somewhat irrationally perhaps, of someone telling me I am supposed to be liking something that actually I don’t, which is just plain stupid because they aren’t.
Whatever it is, I’m not quite there yet. Deep rooted sexism and misogyny? Possible, I suppose. I did, after all, grow up in an era when women should not be seen, nor heard, so maybe I have inherited a bit of that mindset? Or maybe, as with American Football, Basketball, Baseball and Ice Hockey I’m just not interested?
Good luck to the Lionesses, obvs, as the young folk tend to say, and I hope you win the thing, with or without me.
(Christ, that was hard to write.)
