NFL fans were quick to rip Cris Collinsworth for his sexist comment

Cris Collinsworth seems surprised that “the ladies” know about football!

On Saturday, Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller broke a barrier for women in sports when she became the first woman to play in a Power Five college football game. Yet, a few days later, during Wednesday afternoon’s NFL game between the Steelers and Ravens, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth still couldn’t contain his surprise that women are actually knowledgeable about the game.

Midway through the second half, Collinsworth turned to his commenting partner Mike Tirico and launched into an anecdote about meeting Steelers fans that inadvertently showed the everyday sexism women face.

“Everyone’s a fan,” Collinsworth said. “In particular, the ladies I got. They asked really specific questions about the game. I was like wow, just blown away…”

The clip cuts off before the end, but the surprise in Collinsworth’s voice is genuine, which is what makes it so condescending. I think Collinsworth meant it as a compliment, but uh, that’s certainly not how it came across.

We are, or we should be, long past the days of anyone being surprised that women are knowledgeable about the game. It’s a tired trope that women don’t know sports, or aren’t interested in the finer details of “the game” or simply don’t get it. That’s what makes Collinsworth comments so outdated and annoying. We’re past that, and anyone who still seems surprised that “the ladies” know their stuff, well, they obviously haven’t been paying attention.

Anyway, NFL fans weren’t about to let Collinsworth’s remark slide (get it) and let him know he was in the wrong.