Advertisement

A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

Share

What: “A Woman’s Touch in the NFL: Tackling Pro Football”

Where: Lifetime network

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

The NFL claims that 40% of its viewing audience of 100 million consists of women. But the NFL is trying to increase that percentage, and this show, wonderfully produced by NFL Films, is an example of that effort. Lifetime, a network designed for women, has shown mostly women’s sports. Pro football is a new area for the network, and this show is a good start.

The show includes several fascinating stories. One deals with football seminars for women conducted by NFL teams, classes called “Football 101.” The producers of the show visited two of them, one put on by the Atlanta Falcons, the other by the New York Giants.

One woman at the New York seminar says, “We were talking about football at work and this one guy says, ‘The woman of my dreams is one you can talk football with and watch ESPN with in the morning . . . and at night.’ ”

Advertisement

Another segment, maybe the show’s best, is on ESPN’s Andrea Kremer. She talks about how she dreamed of being a ballerina but fell in love with Larry Csonka and the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

These days, Kremer is not only one of the best female interviewers in sports television but one of the best, period. The Minnesota Vikings’ Cris Carter tells viewers why he chose Kremer last year when he decided to acknowledge the drug addiction that nearly ruined him when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles. “She’s my favorite reporter,” he says.

Another story features Sally Gardocki, the wife of Indianapolis Colt punter Chris Gardocki. An attorney and mother, she has made pro football her business. She hosts pre- and postgame radio shows, writes a weekly column for the Indianapolis Star, and is the author of a book, “The Wives Room: a Look Behind the NFL Curtain.”

There is an interesting segment on Donna George, the mother of Tennessee Oiler running back Eddie George. The player learned about discipline when his mother, worrying that his son was not applying himself in the classroom, sent him to military school. The player also learned something about running with a football when his mother, a former ballet dancer, told him to run on the balls of his feet and put his toes down first.

Another segment deals with Betsy Berns, author of “The Women’s Armchair Guide to Pro Football.” Berns says, “Women are more interested in the human side of the game. With men, it’s yardage and stats.”

But the disparity between genders when it comes NFL football might not be as great as some think. This show is supposed to appeal to women, but, guaranteed, it will also appeal to men.

Advertisement
Advertisement