MARKETING TO THE FAIRER FAN

Different sports are making marketing to women a priority. This isn’t news. The practice has been going on for several years. Baseball’s Ladies Days, for instance, started in the 1800s. But, as opposed to these days, it wasn’t the women’s money that teams wanted. Rather, teams granted women free admission to the stadiums because team executives thought the presence of women would make the men-folk less crude and rowdy. Of course that was before women rioted when the Washington Senators starting pitcher Win Mercer was tossed from the game after an argument with the umpire in 1897. The women tore up seats and smashed windows. The offending umpire, Bill Carpenter, was smuggled out of the stadium in a disguise.

But, aside from free tickets and special promotions offering spa vacations and manicures, what I’m really talking about today is how sports are trying to lure women with merchandise. Having women connect with a player or team isn’t enough – it is expected that women brandish their allegiance with a hat or t-shirt. Not just any hat or t-shirt. Teams often suggest a pink item. You know, because chicks dig pink. Now, don’t go thinking I’m for or against pink stuff for political reasons. You won’t see me wearing pink because I look dreadful in any shade of pink. Jackie looks good in hot pink -- but the powder pink hue often sold in team stores does nothing for her perfectly pale Polish complexion. So, the “pink it and shrink it” marketing isn’t intended for us. But that doesn’t mean it’s not for some. My stepmom looks stunning in pink. I even bought her a pink Boston cap a few years back (the lifelong Orioles fan has the misfortune of marrying into a Boston family. Oh well. Probably not too late for that annulment).

And of course it’s just not baseball that is making women think they should think pink. The NFL has pink everything, too. And haven’t we all heard enough about how NASCAR is the favored sport among women? There is even a line of harlequinesque romance novels created around a NASCAR theme. Chicks dig Harlequin novels. And there is an upcoming NASCAR-inspired movie, too. A chick flick. NASCAR has scads and scads of driver-specific jerseys that are tailored to show toned mid-riffs and bodacious curves. And don’t think that the open-wheel racing world is keen on being left behind when it comes to collecting some money from women. Though they are taking the highroad, so to speak. Formula One racing is now offering a diamond-clad watch by TAG Heuer for $2,300. The marketing material says that the company made the watch for “women who want chic design and serious sports-inspired functionality.” It has a pink face and, as you can probably tell by the price tag, lots of diamonds.

You know, Formula One executives don’t want just anyone cheering for their drivers.

Then, right up there with Formula One clientele is bass fishing. According to National Sporting Goods Association, 12.9 million women fish. Yet many cannot zip the vests over their chests. So… big clothing manufacturers are on the case. "Columbia considers the technical and performance aspects first and then we bring in new colors designs and fit… Colors such as sea foam green, sunkist coral and periwinkle are colors that seem to appeal to women," a Columbia spokeswoman said.

I can’t tell you how many women I’ve heard from that abhor sports marketing to women. They say it’s demeaning and pandering. They thumb their noses – and whatever else they can get their hands on – at pink merchandise. As if pink shirts automatically label a woman a non-fan, or, -- GASP! – a casual fan. Do all fans have to wear an $80 authentic MLB-licensed [insert favorite player’s name] double-knit jersey? I don’t think so. Can’t we all just get along?

Ultimately, teams and their fans can’t judge a book by its cover. Not all women like pink. Not all pink-clad women are pushovers. And, as the Washington Senators found out in 1897, not all women demure when their starting pitcher is thrown from the game. Then, there’s my beloved stepmom, who still remembers the cold duck induced hangover she had the morning of October 18, 1979. That would be the day after Orioles lost Game Seven – and the World Series – to the Pittsburgh Pirates. She looks great in pink. And she’s a fan.

photo credits: baseballlibrary, boston.com, amazon, llbean