New Football Book for Women

Sunnyvale, CA (PRWEB) May 8, 2007 -- Football season ended with the Super Bowl in February. And yet, the sports news anchors and analysts are at it again, clamoring on about top college football players as they turned pro and about the players who are left as free agents. The National Football League's (NFL) annual player draft took place a couple of weekends ago. It was a lot like a bunch of guys getting together on a vacant lot, sizing up a field of friends, figuring out who they want most, and then choosing them to play on their team. Except, the draft is bigger -- much bigger and instead of a vacant lot, they were in New York City's Radio Music Hall. As a result of the Draft, the football teams have new players and new hope for the upcoming season. A new book just out is sure to bring new hope to those fans who are not only confused about the NFL Draft, but may not understand much about football at all. The book, Putting on the Blitz: The Football Book for Women, is sure to help the novice learn more about the game.

For football fans, the NFL Draft is a huge part of any football season. The spectator who watched the Draft probably enjoyed every last detail from Oakland Raiders' 1st pick of JaMarcus Russell, quarterback to the very last 255th pick of Ramzee Robinson corner back, by Detroit. ESPN reports a total audience of 38 million across the three networks, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network during the Draft's 18 hour televised program. And although the networks can boast such an enormous response to their show, very few viewers were women. While her male counterpart was enjoying some uninterrupted bonding time with their buddies, women were probably watching the kids, driving to soccer practice or washing the dog. Perhaps it is the fact the Draft was 18 hours of televised programming over a two day time frame, which made it difficult for women to devote much time to watching the presentation. Or maybe it is because the draft can be very complicated and hard to follow. As much as the NFL has done to attract women viewers over the years, the percentage of women watching the NFL Draft was meager at best. However, the networks airing the NFL Super Bowl 2007 can boast 141.4 million viewers and 38% of those spectators were women. Why did one NFL program draw the attention of women, while the other did not?

The difference between men and women watching the Draft, is "for some guys, watching a college star get recruited is like watching their little brother grow up", as Suzanna Gagnier explains in her book Putting on the Blitz: The Football Book for Women. For women, if they do not know the college player being drafted, they usually do not care which team drafts them. However, the NFL Super Bowl is all about the last game of the season, the party, the entertainment and friends and it is about their team winning big. Women, the social creatures that they are, love the social aspect of the game.

Maybe women just don't understand all of the nuances of American Football. Football is a highly complicated game with passing plays, rushing plays, field goals and penalties. Or maybe (if they were lucky), some women have grown up with big brothers or fathers who cherished the game and never missed the opportunity to cheer for their favorite team. Those gals probably have a keen eye for the "off-side", or the "illegal use of hands" penalties. They are the ones calling the plays from the sidelines (or couch) before the ball is ever snapped. They proudly wear their team colors.

However, for those women who could not identify an "onside kick" if their life depended on it, Suzanna Gagnier has provided the solution. Her new book explains everything about football from the kick-off to the pads the players wear under their uniforms, to the history of the game. She does so in a fun and playful manner in a hard bound book, full of illustrations and high glossy color photos.

With the completion of the Draft, and the drafted college players reviewing their soon-to-be NFL contracts, the football season is officially over. However, come August (a mere three months away), the football pre-season will be in full swing, and the season official kick-off will soon follow. Those women who are already die-hard fans are just as excited as their male counterparts for the fall season to approach and football to start again. But for those who get lost during the Draft (and truly there are many male fans who do not even understand the ins and outs of the NFL Draft), help has arrived. Get out the sunscreen, straw hat and shades this summer, and enjoy learning about the number one spectator sport in America by reading the new book of the summer, Putting on the Blitz: The Football Book for Women. Next football season we may see an enormous influx of women watching football, and come September the women may just take her spot on the couch and demand the ownership of the remote control.

Suzanna Gagnier, author of "Putting on the Blitz: The Football Book for Women," is a former football statistician. Her book has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX News. She can be found online at puttingontheblitz.com, or 408-316-9333

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