WS Chronicle

By Christy Werts

Usually in July of every year, the buzz of the upcoming NFL football season begins. When will Washington play Dallas? Will the Panthers make the playoffs? What team will de-throne Tom Brady and the Patriots? Will my team play close enough for me to go see them this year? 

And with social media, the fun has gone to a whole new level. We can now trash talk as much as we want amongst our old friends, new friends, and even strangers. And it’s all centered around one thing … FOOTBALL!

Growing up as a daddy’s girl in the 70s, my dad was a diehard Washington Redskins fan, but also a lover of the game of football. As the saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I also grew up loving football and the Washington Redskins. I played football in the streets with the boys in the neighborhood and was sitting in front of the television every Sunday afternoon in the fall with my dad and brothers.

Fast forward to 2019 … still a Redskins fan, but now I have a whole new group of football fans to socialize with on social media. We go at it hard! I get messages like, “Somebody check on Christy,” after a Redskins loss, or “The picture would be nice if you take off that Redskins shirt!” So I respond, “I know that Cowboys shirt is giving you a rash!” or “That’s why you had to go bald, you wearing that Steeler hat!” It’s all fun and games and no one gets upset.

One Sunday morning I woke up and had a thought. What if we had a women’s football group? We could go to the sports bar and watch football just like the guys. I knew several women who also loved football and decided to reach out to my friend, London McKinney. We talked for what seemed to be hours. By the time we got off the telephone, we had a plan. We would start a group called “Women Who Love the NFL,” we would create a Facebook group and invite other women to join, and we would have our first football gathering for the rivalry game of the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 15, 2019. By the time London was done, we had a venue, food, games, and prizes. We expected around 15 women, but ended up with over 30 women! The Redskins lost to the Cowboys that day, but the event was a huge success.

History has proven that great things happen when women come together on one accord. Looking at that room filled with women of different professions, talents, nationalities, interests, etc., gave us another idea: we can do so much more than just watch football together. We can make a difference in our community.  We can also serve as a support system for each other. At this point, we created a planning committee comprised of Tammy Lee, Erica Harrison, Jennifer Jeter, Brenda Bennett, Mellissia Sutton, London McKinney and me.

We now had a platform and we planned to use it to make a difference in each other’s lives and the lives of those in our community. We realized we had business owners, healthcare professionals, health and wellness experts, crafters, financial advisers, IT professionals, artists, etc. in our group. Why not use these resources? We can have sessions where we talk about finances and credit or have a workout session and talk about the importance of being active and healthy eating. Maybe we can invite our business owners, crafters and artists in to display and sell their products. The possibilities are endless. It’s all about providing a circle of support because we realize that if we are better, everything that is attached to us gets better.

In just four short months, we have had four football gatherings, we have collected toys for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots campaign, we have collaborated with Assistant Coach Jermaine Woods of the WFU women’s basketball team and collected toys for the children at Best Choice Center here in Winston-Salem, and we have grown to over 100 women in our Facebook group. 

As football season gets close to ending, our future plans include continuing our relationship with Coach Woods and the Best Choice Center, meeting once a month to empower and uplift each other, and be a present help in our community. We are not only a group of women who love football, but we also love our community and want to make a positive impact.  

If you are interested in becoming a part of Ladies Who Love the NFL, please contact Christy Werts at cwerts32@yahoo.com or London McKinney at 336-480-8746.