by I was listening to SportsRadio in New York City the other day and I heard an interesting argument from the on-air host. He believes the Summer Olympics are intended for male fans, while the Winter Olympics are intended for female fans.
The host went on to build his case.
The Summer Olympics, he said, are all about sweat and brute strength and
lifting weights and running and jumping: Typical male activity. The
television broadcasts reflect high levels of testosterone in the hosting
and announcing of events.
The Winter Olympics, he argued, are
centered on artistry, beauty, dancing, skating and celebrating the
female form in physical space — all those concerns are the
stereotypical domain of interest for most females. The television
studios are warm, cozy, lighted by fireplaces and the announcers are
dressed in warm, fuzzy, layers.
I was stopped a bit by his
argument as I checked my gender equity card and then I wondered if he
was on to something.
What’s your take? Are the Olympics created
for an audience based on gender? Or are most women just as big a fan
of the Decathlon as most men are of Ice Dancing?
Interesting. I am not particularly keen on either but I suppose I would say that I prefer summer olympics to winter just because the sports seem more fun — gender wins on this guy, I guess! 🙂
I’m with you on that. Curling? Really? Total feminine sport. No man should ever slide across any sort of ice in that sort of split-leg position. I, too, will take basketball, weight lifting and track and field and swimming and wrestling and karate over sliding down a hill on rails or skidding on skis.
Even more interesting.
I am a die hard fan of both “decathlon” and “skidding on skis”. What does that make me then??