Article by Jess Dempsey


Although it has recently been explained to me that the derogatory term “pink hats” has come to describe any fair-weather sports fan, it originally described the women who I like to call Brady Blondes, who wear pink sports paraphernalia to look “like, so totally cute!” while knowing nothing and caring not about the game. I must add a disclaimer that pink is my favorite color, so this post is not an attack on the color or those who like wearing sports paraphernalia that is pink. Also, notice that it’s not just the knowing nothing that counts. Every sports fan has to start somewhere, and not all of us are lucky enough to have a mother obsessed with NFL football (Hi, Mom) and a Dad who kept WEEI on during entire car rides to hear the Red Sox games (Hi, Dad).


Those who are genuinely eager to learn about a sport but have no knowledge of the sport are not included in this term. I am talking about the girls who know who Tom Brady is only because “he’s like OMG so hot and married to Gisele.” I call them the Brady Blondes, as they generally wear a #12 jersey to games (because none of them could name another play if they tried). Although now, I am seeing more and more #83 jerseys popping up. (Wes just has those dreamy blue eyes, doesn’t he?)

Some may argue that they fill seats so that’s all that matters. I would counter against that argument strongly. If you don’t like something, don’t care to engage in it or learn about it, why pay money to sit around looking bored and making an “ugh” face for several hours – inevitably making the game LESS enjoyable for the true fans around you?

I absolutely hate golf. Not mini-golf, but real golf. I think it’s boring and I can’t understand how people who watch it derive some sort of enjoyment from it. I may try to play a round at some point in my life, but it probably won’t become a regular thing. Due to all the aforementioned reasons, I don’t talk about, write about, watch, or pretend to know about, golf. I respect people who do, I just don’t.

Life is short enough as it is, so why spend any time pretending to like something you don’t like? It baffles me. I have a dear friend whose name shall remain private, who absolutely hates football. Hates. And that’s fine. But the minute she dates a guy who likes football, suddenly she’s trawling ESPN every day for things to impress him with. The thing is, people can spot a fake. And not being true to yourself will always come back to bite you in the ass. Want to impress someone who likes football? Know nothing about it yourself? A simple, “Oh, I don’t follow football, and am not sure I like it. But I am interested in the business side of women’s sports apparel (or something like that)” will do.

Bottom line: pink hats, stop being fake. You make it hard for the rest of us ladies who are actually real fans to get any sort of respect.

Tags: Pink Hats, NFL