The current study attempts to serve as a foundational report for future investigations into the preferences and experiences of females at NFL games. This study contributes to and extends the literature in this area through a qualitative methodological approach focused on eliciting in-depth narrative responses from over 400 women who attended one of four NFL games during the 2012 NFL regular season to learn more about the specific preferences of women spectators with respect to their experience at an NFL game.1 To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this study is the largest qualitative research study relating to the overall game day experiences of female spectators at a professional sport event. Unlike previous research that examines fan avidity or fans that identify highly with certain teams, the current study was focused on the experiences and preferences of female spectators regardless of fan affinity or fan avidity. This study hopes to follow the line of inquiry that has suggested that “women’s sports fandom has the potential to transform gender relations, identities and practices in the sporting sphere and beyond” (Mewett & Toffoletti, 2012, p. 10). Some of the major findings of the current study include:

• Apparel and other merchandise: Approximately 38% of female spectators who participated in this study indicated that there was not sufficient variety of apparel at the sporting event. Suggestions relating to improving apparel variety included offering NFL and team-branded products such as jewelry, tank tops, dresses and skirts, flip flops, purses and lingerie, in addition to offering a greater selection of jerseys for women and a larger range of apparel sizes. For example, 25.7% of females in this study expressed that they would like to see female fitted t-shirts sold at NFL games, and 12.6% of participants indicated that they would like to see jewelry and other accessories sold at NFL games. Please refer to the case study below in this report for a detailed analysis of female purchases at one

NFL game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

• Food and beverage: Female spectators who participated in this study indicated that fun (33.9%), taste (29%), hunger (23.8%), and health (15.1%) influenced food and beverage purchasing decisions at the game. In terms of suggestions for food and beverage offerings at sporting events, 13.7% of participants expressed interest in stadiums offering additional healthier options and 7.8% of participants expressed interest in vegetarian and gluten free options.

• Restrooms and cleanliness: Almost 33% of participants thought that the restrooms at the NFL facility were good/clean, but almost 47% of participants described the restrooms as either adequate (27.7%) or horrible (19%). Participants’ suggestions for improving the perceived cleanliness of restrooms at sporting events included increasing cleaning staff (20.4%), increasing the number of bathrooms to reduce lines (15.9%), increasing the number and improving the quality of sanitary items such as paper towels and hand sanitizers (13%).

• Tailgating and parking: Over 60% of participants felt that the tailgating culture at an NFL game is geared equally toward men and women, but 27.5% of participants felt that the tailgating culture is male focused/dominated. In addition, 91.6% of participants explained that they were unaware of any female specific programs offered in terms of tailgating or during the actual game. Overall, participants appeared to be satisfied with the parking situation at the game — 34.6% of participants described parking as great or good, 22.7% described parking as fine/acceptable, and 15.6% felt that parking was too expensive.

• Decision to attend NFL game: Over 50% of the female spectator participants indicated that they were attending the NFL game with family and/or friends, and 21.6% of participants indicated that they were attending the game with their husband. In addition, 72% of participants felt that they are valued participants of the NFL (or specific team), whereas 20.4% of participants did not feel valued with respect to their game day experiences. It is important to note that 10.9% of participants explained that NFL teams should attempt to make the overall game day experience more attractive to women.