The Pistons recently created separate fan clubs for men (The "Hardwood Club"; no, really) and the "Playmakers" for women. For some reason, I now need to "jump". Follow me for more thoughts.

I'm not quite sure how to view this. Does being a Piston's fan mean different things for men and women? Should it? The listed benefits for each club are almost identical. They both share the following:

• Members-only experiences, benefits and sweepstakes
• Exclusive Pistons content
• Special ticket offers
• Weekly E-Newsletter
• Discounts at Palace Locker Room Store
• Custom merchandise
• Special access to Palace Sports and Entertainment event pre-sales
• Social events with Pistons personalities

The only difference is that the Hardwood Club lists this benefit:

• Meet and greets with Pistons personalities, legends, Pistons Dancers and Cheer Team

While the Playmakers get this beneift:

• Meet and greets with Pistons personalities, legends and Pistons entertainment teams

So, the boys get to meet the cheerleaders and the girls get to meet the "entertainment teams"? The difference seems negligible. And who's to say the girls wouldn't want to meet the Dancers and Cheer Team like the boys? Or that the boys wouldn't want to meet the Flight Team or Mason as well?

The Red Wings recently did something similar to this, asking for help naming a new fan club for women.

(While "Cougars" is an homage to the previous name for the franchise, it still seems a bit... loaded given the connotation). The SB Nation site for the Wings, Wining it in Motown had some thoughts about this and asked an active female member to weight in with her opinion.

To me, one of the best things about being a Piston's fan is sharing the community with ALL other fans. If we start splitting up fans based on ethnicity, gender, or age, aren't we diminishing that sense of community?

I'd like to hear from some other fans who might consider themselves part of a group than I'm not in(i.e., not male or white). Do you feel like your needs as a fan would be better met if a specific club was designed for you? Or, do you prefer to be part of a larger community of fans, even if it means the possibility of being a minority?

(Ok, fine. You white males can chime in, too.)