By Andrew Pryor
To every woman who’s ever gone to bed early on a Sunday night during playoff season, thinks a “pick-and-roll” is something people do when there’s no Kleenex around and that a “buttonhook” is a nifty solution for a torn shirt—know this: You are not alone.
Lena Sutherland and Jules Mancuso, two long-distance best friends and self-proclaimed “sports widows,” found that they had a lot in common when it came to sports. They realized this one day while talking on the phone while their husbands were engrossed in a big January football game. They chatted about their opinions on different sports, how hot the players were and how they’d always been interested in knowing just what a “sacrifice fly” could possibly mean. While talking this over, they came up with the concept of a show that would cater to other women whose husbands are married to the game. Thus, While The Men Watch was born.
Lena and Jules are co-hosts of their own radio program that they’ve described as “a cross between ESPN and Sex & The City.” Their number-one goal is to get women involved in the discussion of sports in a way that appeals to them, not to men. “We try to have women engaged in a fun way, instead of spending their Saturday night alone,” states Mancuso.
Related: She’s Got Game: The Women’s Guide to Loving Sports
So how does someone introduce women into what’s always been a man’s world?
Sex appeal, for starters. On While The Men Watch, Lena and Jules engage in a different form of fantasy sports, one that focuses on what Jules calls the “fantasy boyfriend.” It’s a twist on the game with women in mind. ”We print out the team roster, look at each player’s picture and stats, and choose the member that would make the best fantasy boyfriend,” says Jules. “It’s a fun time-waster and it makes a slow game go more quickly.” And of course, the radio program gives out prizes on occasion to lucky listeners, like jewelry and designer clothing.
But the husbands don’t always need to feel left out—Lena and Jules also encourage single women to learn about sports. “What we found was if you ask a guy one question about sports, it turns into a long conversation. Guys get excited when they find a woman that’s interested in knowing more about the sports they like—and that goes for single women as well as married women. A sports bar can be a great place to find someone new.”
While The Men Watch has covered sporting events like Games 6 and 7 of the World Series, as well as regular season hockey and football games. Jules admits that she and Lena can be a bit biased when it comes to picking a favorite team, though. “It depends on a lot of things,” says the radio co-host. “We usually favor whichever team looks like they can finish the game quicker, or the one that’s better-looking.”
Related: Celebrity Couples You Just Might See at a Sporting Game
While The Men Watch has over two thousand listeners per show—and not all of them are female. “We’ve had several men call into the program,” says Jules. “A lot of them just want to know what their partner’s laughing at while the game’s going on.”
So, for all of those ladies with men who leave them for their television sets or “live games,” you now have a venue to turn to–WhileTheMenWatch.com.
You can look at the program schedule online or check out their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.
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