On my first weekend at DU I headed down to the student lounge with a couple friends to dispel one of my biggest fears coming to school: that I wouldn’t have the time to watch the Broncos game every Sunday. As we sat there, fixated on the big screen, a freshman guy walked down with a few buddies to play some pool. Upon seeing four girls watching a football game he commented, “Well this defies every stereotype known to man: girls watching football.” We laughed, but it made me wonder. Why is it that people refuse to believe that girls can love, and even understand, football just as much as boys do? Yes, it’s true that there are many more males who enjoy sitting down every Sunday to focus on their favorite team, but there are still a lot of females out there who enjoy cheering on their teams just as much. I grew up watching football with my dad and I can’t remember a Sunday when the game wasn’t on. As I grew older I began to appreciate the game more and my dad started to teach me about the basics. I soon fell in love with the sport and lived and breathed football. I anxiously waited for Sunday afternoons when I could just take in the tackles and the passes; and then for Monday mornings when I would adorn myself in my favorite player’s jersey or shirt and head to school. Frequently I received comments similar to, “What do you know about football? You’re a girl.” However, once I started spouting off names and statistics I proved that I was serious about my passion. Just because I was a girl didn’t mean that I couldn’t understand football. I don’t understand the stereotype brought on by guys that girls only know about “girl things.” What if the players were girls – would it still be a “man’s sport?” Maybe girls know more than guys about football, but they just don’t choose to show it. Probably not, but a girl can dream can’t she? My point is, football is America’s sport. It shouldn’t have to be one or the other and every fan, no matter who they are, should be respected for what they love and what they know – or don’t. Maybe there are girls, or even guys, who know absolutely nothing about the logistics, but who love rooting for a team all the same. So be it. It’s all the more people to relax and enjoy the game with. Maybe one day people will lose the stereotypes, but no matter whether they’re there or not, you will always find me on Sundays, glued to my television set, rooting on my boys. Maybe even one week some guys will join me. After all, guys can know football just as well as girls.