I keep wanting to cut ChuffPo some slack, to give it time to prove itself, and I’m not sure why. I’m usually a “There’s plenty of room at the party, come on in, have a drink” kind of guy but if that means enduring John Cusack’s error-laden hagiography, Steve Dolinsky’s hypocritical slam against other sites for reviewing restaurants too early, and Jami Gertz’s mash note to Glenview, I’m starting to wish there was a secret password for this gasser.
And then there’s today’s post from Bahar Takhtehchian on how there’s just too darn many sports-loving women in Chicago.
Sigh, where to begin?
Takhtehchian’s goal seems to be to explain why Chicago women love sports so much, except she doesn’t do that at all. And she seems to want to explain why she doesn’t love sports, but she doesn’t do that either. Instead, she provides a list of things she likes (lounges, Ketel One, tanning) and things she doesn’t (Sluggers, Miller Lite, Irish bars), the latter of which she’s associated with the loving of sports. And since she doesn’t like those things, she doesn’t like sports. Even though it’s like saying “I hate the park because when I was there once, someone kicked me in the nuts.”
So in the absence of actual considered thought, Takhtehchian spends 625 words how very mature she is (“I understood my classmates’ loyalty to the Wildcats. But with those days now behind me, I marvel at how women my age are still willing to devote their entire Saturdays to sports”) and suggesting Chicago women only like sports because they’re after some dick (“Am I the only girl in this city being honest about my total and utter disinterest in sports?”). The piece isn’t about why women love sports, it’s more about how women who love sports are fools.
I’ll make this easy for her: You know why women love sports, Bahar? Women love sports because people love sports.
Because it means something to them, because their family traditions are tied up in it, or just because they enjoy them. They don’t consider your love of Ketel One and tanning to be a threat to their love of the game, so don’t feel like there needs to be a defense made of your own faves. Perhaps neither the twain shall meet, and no harm done.
The other thing she fails to understand is that in Chicago, sports is the great equalizer (mostly the Bears, admittedly, but other teams as well). It’s the one time when the sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, and dickheads all fall together in one big, happy (or, more often, disappointed but hopeful) heap.
Ultimately, this is what I’ve really disliked about ChuffPo from the beginning: It purports to tell the stories of Chicago – by Chicagoans, no less – but the words they publish sound like they’re about some weird city I’d never want to live in.
Margaret over at Chicagoist has some thoughts on this as well.
after reading the article, sounds like someone was jilted in favor of a good ol’ chicago gal who loves her bears. and Im sorry if I offend, but I do not even begin to consider following wildcat sports an example of chicago sports fandom. I personally find a young lady who is hammered off too many vodka sodas and falling off of her heels and out of her rhinestoned tunic to be much more obnoxious than a woman who threw back a few too many old styles in the excitement of the game.
The author is simply stating her opinion: she’s doesn’t like sports and is curious about why so many chicago gals do. Since when is it wrong to have an opionion that’s not favored by all?
The title of her article is “Why Chicago Girls Love Sports So Much…And I Don’t.” I guess I missed the part where she answers those questions. The part that we in the business call “the actual article.” Hold on, let me read it again.
Nope. Not there. Unless…
Nope. Instead, we’ve got this:
“Chicago girls love sports because they sure do love sports. I don’t like them because I’d rather do things that are not sports. Right? Not sports?”
Scott, I’m sure you’re a nice guy. But first, do something for me, will you? Take a deep breath and calm down. I think you’re reading a little bit too deeply into Takhtehchian’s HuffPo post.
First, I don’t think she ever implied that there are “TOO darn many sports-loving women in Chicago” — or that she doesn’t like them. I think she was simply asking why there seem to be SO many of these women here in the Midwest, in relation to the rest of the country.
Second, you’re simply making an assumption about what the presumed goal of her post was. As you said yourself, her goal “SEEMS to be to explain why Chicago women love sports so much … And she SEEMS to want to explain why she doesn’t love sports…”
That’s right. It SEEMS that way. But that doesn’t actually MEAN that was her goal at all. Maybe that’s why, as you point out, she doesn’t do either of those things. Maybe it wasn’t her goal in the first place. Is that why you’re upset? Because she’s not answering questions you’ve posed for her.
You’re simply putting words in her mouth and then bitching about them.
Then she lists what she likes and doesn’t like. So what? Correct me if I’m wrong, (God forbid I put words in YOUR mouth), but you “SEEM” to be mistaking a simple personal essay for some broad indictment of all sports-loving Chicago women. So she prefers other activities over watching sports? Who cares? I don’t hear any damning condemnation of those women who do enjoy watching — she only expresses her own disinterest in watching them and her feeling of disconnectedness from those women.
And again, you SEEM to infer from her post that she doesn’t like sports ONLY because she doesn’t like “Sluggers, Miller Lite, and Irish bars.” I think she probably doesn’t like watching sports to begin with — not because she doesn’t like sports bars. (These seem to be supporting examples she cites to further explain why she doesn’t enjoy sports.) Guess what, Scott? What if I told you that I hate Sluggers, Miller Lite and Irish bars too? By your logic, I guess if I hate those things, then I must hate sports too, right? Except that I love sports. Honestly, were you even listening to yourself as you wrote this weak, incoherent response?
Then comes the real garbage. I don’t think Takhtehchian is trying to show off her maturity, as you claim, by asking why women spend Saturdays in bars watching football. I think she’s just once again explaining how she can’t relate or see the appeal. I’m a dude. And I don’t like sports bars much either. So what? It’s not flaunting your maturity to offer an opinion, for Chrissakes.
And your idiotic interpretation of her theory that some women watch sports “because they’re after some dick” is totally off-base. She didn’t say that, Scott. You did. Seems to me that she was simply asking if some women — certainly not all, but some — watch sports for the camaraderie and acceptance they feel when watching with their boyfriends — a completely fair and provocative question. My girlfriend doesn’t like sports, and I don’t ask her to. But when she does watch, she’s watching to hang out with me — not because she’s interested.
And her final comment asking if there are any other girls who are honest about their “disinterest in sports” didn’t seem to be calling other sports-loving girls liars or, as you call them, “fools.” Rather, it seems to me that she was simply asking if there are any other girls in this city who might not like sports. What’s wrong with that?
Sure, Bahar asks why SO MANY girls like sports. But I’m not sure she was necessarily trying to ANSWER the question so much as POSE it to her readers. Her take is certainly better than your hilarious explanation: “Girls like sports because people like sports.” Actually, Scott, some people don’t like sports. In fact, more people don’t like sports than do. But of those who do, on average, it’s safe to say there are far more men than women. The question then is why it seems that so many more Chicago women love sports than in the South, Northeast or West? Which is exactly what Bahar was asking. So remind me again what exactly your problem with this post was.
Takhtehchian never expressed ill will towards anyone who likes sports — only her own inability to relate to those people — which is far more respect than you have accorded her and her post. One of two things is happening here. Either you’re upset that she’s not a Bears fan. Or you are too mentally incompetent to understand this relatively harmless opinion piece. All of the other bloated, absurd assumptions YOU have made about Ms. Takhtehchian doesn’t make her a fool.
It makes you a presumptuous ass.
John and Katie: From the title of her piece, she says she’s going to explain why Chicago women (actually, she says girls) love sports. And why she doesn’t. She doesn’t explain either of those things.
I never call her a fool, but she definitely has a mocking, better-than-you tone.
Also, John, you’re right. The “after some dick” line needs more context. Here’s the line after the one I quoted above: “Are they sitting through hour after hour of endless sports for the love of the game … or for the love of the men in their lives?”
So….yeah.
I appreciate your criticisms. And I wouldn’t have a problem if this were pure opinion. But she makes judgments and assertions that she doesn’t back up or support.
Scott, you are making judgments and assertions about Takhtehchian, too! Her piece is all OPINION. Deal with it.
Annie> I am. But the difference is my opinion is based on something. If I had written, “this is a lousy article” and not said why, I’d be guilty of the same things Bahar is here.
It’s one thing to have an opinion. But if you’re going to write something about your opinion, you’re obligated to back it up. It’s fine that she doesn’t like sports, or thinks other women only like sports because of their husbands or boyfriends (even though this ignores a whole non-hetero segment of female sports-lovers) but tell me why you think these things!
I actually did read her article, Scott. So I understood the context of your narrow-minded interpretation that Takhtehchian is claiming sports-loving women are just “after some dick.” Her post wasn’t nearly as offensive as your own misguided interpretation of it.
I’m just struggling to figure out how you translated Takhtehchian’s rather non-controversial assertion that SOME women might be watching sports or enjoying sports more to feel acceptance from other men — “for the love of the men in their lives” — (which SOME women most certainly do, my girlfriend included) to mean that she was suggesting that women watch sports ONLY because they’re “after some dick.” That’s quite a leap from A to B there, Scotty.
The fact is she has a point. Some girls like sports and sometimes watch alone, like my baby sister. But I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of women watch sports only when in the company of others — who usually happen to be men. It doesn’t mean that these women don’t like sports and are ONLY watching to hang out with their boyfriends and husbands, but Takhtehchian didn’t claim this. She only seemed to point out that SOME women probably feel a sense of camaraderie and acceptance among men, and that’s one of the reasons they enjoy sports.
I think this is a pretty interesting observational point — rather than the damning condemnation of all sports-loving females as dick-hungry frauds, that you claim it is.
I hope my interpretation offers your poorly-served readers some more developed and nuanced context — at least more context than your flippant and non-existent explanation provided.
Or, as you might say when concluding one of your well-developed arguments:
“So….yeah.”
She doesn’t say some, she makes a broad suggestion about all women who love sports:
“Do Chicago gals genuinely care about the fortunes of this city’s sports teams? Are they sitting through hour after hour of endless sports for the love of the game … or for the love of the men in their lives?”
Phrasing it as a question is a weak way to say “This is what I think” without actually saying “This is what I think.” It’s another reason why this “opinion” piece isn’t really opinion since she’s hedging her bets in every graf.
It’s a lousy, cliche-ridden piece, but the point is made in the nut graf:
“You see, unlike most Chicago girls, I’d rather spend a relaxing evening in a candle-lit lounge than one of the city’s 59,000 Irish sports bars. I’d go hungry before feasting on a plate of Buffalo wings, and I’ll take a Ketel One and soda over a Miller Lite any day. And since we’re being honest here, I only recently learned what an RBI means.”
Most Chicago girls like sports, and she doesn’t, and she has refined taste, by North Side standards, and they don’t.
Why lousy? Because that last sentence should read, “…what an RBI is,” not “means.” The “weather was beautiful,” at Wrigley. My word, your descriptive powers are beyond compare.
It’s worth the paper it’s written on.