Knowing the Name on your Back...

First off, let me just apologize for my lack of recent activity.  Now that my Welcome Week/job festivities are over, I plan to devote more time to A Gal's Guide.

With the football season right around the corner, I found myself browsing Cowboys jerseys to replace my mysteriously missing Marion Barber.  I finally chose a Demarcus Ware jersey after careful consideration, which got me thinking about jersey selection.  One dilemma female football fans face is which jersey they should purchase.  For most females (myself included), they want to make the most informed decision before we decide which brand or style to rep.  Jerseys are no exception, with many girls settling to become a pink jersey wearing female (PJWF).

I've come to some pretty accurate (or at least I think so) stereotypes people often associate with PJWFs

1.  They are clueless
2.  They don't care about the general game of football
3.  They don't know anything about the player whose jersey they wear

While this may not be true for all PJWFs, it is definitely safe to say many people feed into these assumptions.  Need proof?  Check out this article at ESPN.com.

Thanks to A Gal's Guide to Everything Guy, you'll never be mistaken as a PJWF.  How, you ask?  Take these tips into consideration when you are picking out your jersey...

The Color/Style:  The first, and most obvious, rule is to avoid pink at all costs.  Yes, it may be a feminine or favorite color but traditional team colors look much more legit.  Also you may want to find a women's fitted jersey or a youth size.  Both offer much more flattering cuts than the typical man's jersey.

The Player:  Try to choose a player you know at least three facts about.  I always think choosing a solid defensive player is an interesting alternative to the typical offensive star.  FEMALES BEWARE:  Guys love to challenge your fanhood, hence why you should have your facts armed and at the ready.  For example, I would explain that Ware is my favorite player because he is one of the best line backers in the league, banked 20 sacks in the 2009 season (take that Strahan!), and plays the piano.


--your gridiron gal

Fantasy for Females

Ah it is my favorite time of the year!  With preseason games blaring in the background, fantasy feines are left to ponder the question as to which players will fill up the spots on their rosters.  Before you delve into your draft, you will want to be prepared with the most basic fantasy knowledge to see you through a succesful season.  Read through my 5 steps to “faking fantasy like a pro.”

1.  Know the design – Whereas traditional football relies on team performance, fantasy focuses specifically on individuals’ achievement.  Because your team will be made up of different players from a variety of teams, you will want to create the best possible mix of players to gain the most points.  The emphasis is typically on offense, where you may have 8 individual players.  Defense and special teams, however, are represented as a team.


2.  Decide your level of commitment – Essentially, you are a team “owner” and need to put forth the necessary effort to keep your fantasy franchise afloat.  Before you commit to a league, you should decide how much time you are willing to spend on your team.  Thankfully, there are several different leagues available online.  You can join an annonymous league for free here at Yahoo.  If you plan on getting serious, you can begin your own with friends, making bets upwards of $10.  Fantasy truly is like anything else in life – you get out what you put in. 


3.  Get acclimated with your opponents – As contradictory as it sounds, you will want to get to know the people you’re up against.  You will face most of your opponents at least once, so knowing a little bit about their team beforehand can help you to decide which players to play, who to bench, etc.  Also if you get extra friendly with some of them, they may be more willing to trade players with you!


4.  Choose a good Defense/Special Teams – Many fantasy rookies tend to focus solely on big player positions such as quarterback or runingback.  Despite the possibilities for big points with these players, never underestimate the power of choosing a good defense and special teams.  Offensive positions and their performace depends heavily on the defense in which they face; face a team with a strong secondary, you may see your qb’s passing rates go way down.  Yet, if you pick up a great defense and special teams unit, you can bank on points if the team is known for interceptions or fab returning skills (think Adrian Peterson).


5.  Book your Sundays (…or get stat tracker) – The most exciting part of being in a league is spending your Sundays switching back and forth between multiple games to see how your fantasy team is faring.  I can remember many a-Sundays spent  flipping fervently from Fox to NBC, just to check up on the various players that culminated to make up a fantasy team.  If you aren’t prepared to spend your Sundays glued to the tube, invest in a stat tracker which can convienently send updates to your phone, email, etc.  You can find tons of stat trackers on the web.  The ones at nfl.com are great and affordable too!  Trust me, you’ll want to miss the Tuesday morning blues after you neglected your team over the weekend. 

Lastly, the most important thing is to have FUN.  Nobody likes an unsportsmanlike fantasy foe.  Whether you’re up for big money or bragging rights, you will want to spend the long-lasting fantasy season in good spirits. 

--your gridiron gal 

Note:  Not all fantasy leagues are created equally.  While many contain different rules, the aforementioned tips follow a “typical” fantasy league.

Welcome to the Gal's Guide

Introductions first, please...

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the Gal's Guide.  I'm Andreya, a Junior at Hofstra University in New York.  As a broadcast journalism major, I was prompted by many to join the blogisphere and start posting about something that interests me.  After many weeks of deliberation, I decided I could be a sort of "expert" on the male psyche.  

Everything from football to food to fashion - whatever YOU are interested in, I'm interested in.  What, you may wonder, qualifies me to be the "expert?"  Spending countless Sundays in my living room sort of molded me into the football guru I am today (although I am openly partial to the Dallas Cowboys as you will surely detect).  

Overall, I just think it would be helpful to have some type of resource like this.  What if a first date has you at a sports bar watching a game?  You'll want to be prepared with your own personal arsenal of information so you can look, sound, and be the part.

Oh yes we can!

Stay tuned for the first Gal's Guide post.  


--your gridiron gal