Football season is upon us ladies! You can say goodbye to your men for the next 4 months,beginning around Labor Day Weekend as they place all of their focus on that grid iron. Yes, I am a “Football Widow.”
A football widow is a wife whose husband spends the majority of his free time totally engrossed in football during football season. My husband is a huge sports fan but the NFL takes precedence over all! I’ll admit that when we first got married I was not aware of his football obsession. Its one of those things that I found out about, AFTER we tied the knot!
As I mentioned in a previous post, it is possible to learn to accept and live with one another’s differences as a couple if there is understanding. And his love for football was one of those things (differences.) At first, I couldn’t understand how he could be so obsessed with a game that HE is not playing but just watching… and how does he remember each player on every team and their stats but not to pick our clothes up from the dry cleaners?
Although I have never tried to thwart his football fixation, I did find it difficult to deal with initially. I mean the average football game lasts a LONG time and football goes from September to January if you don’t count pre-season. Every Sunday and Monday, like clock work, there he is prepped and ready for game time. But it doesn’t just stop there, because he also has to wear his favorite team jersey while all of this happens.
The rest of the week is spent watching highlights from those 2 nights. Fortunately for everyone, there are additional cable channels available so that he can see EVERY game and EVERY highlight. (insert sarcastic tone here). Eventually I decided to choose my battles and this was not gonna be one of them. My man is a good man. He is hardworking and loyal. He takes good care of us and rarely complains, so why shouldn’t he be able to obsess over something if he wants to.
They say if you can’t beat em, join em… That’s what THEY say. I say if you can’t beat em, find something else to do with your time. Yeah, I’m not the chick that has grown to love the game, just because he’s into it. In fact, after all these years I still don’t fully understand the game and that’s because I am totally not interested in learning. (Unless of course my COLTS are playing, keep your comments to yourself on that!) So to “Football Widows” everywhere here is a list of 10 things that you can do to occupy your time while your mate mentally disappears during football season.
1. Read A Book …or two – You will have exactly 4 months to do this.
2. Make Up A New Line Dance Or Learn an Old One – I am sure there are some party favorites that you don’t know the steps to yet!
3. Buy Something New – He won’t be listening to anything you say, so go buy yourself something with his unconscious blessing.
4. Learn a New Language – Won’t he be surprised when you address him in Mandarin Chinese in January after the Super Bowl!?
5. Redecorate a Room in Your Home – Just change it all. He won’t know. Decorate around him
6. Start a Support Group for other Football Widows – Bring Wine…Lots of Wine
7. Shop – Did I say this one already?
8. Watch every episode of “The Wire” – No seriously, do it. Its really good. You should be able to finish all seasons in 4 months.
9. Big Chop and Go Natural! – Football season is the PERFECT time to go Natural if you were thinking about it. No matter how he feels about it, he won’t object during football season. By the time its over your natural hair will have grown out to gorgeousness!
10. Find Your Own Obsession – Mine are Coach, Michael Kors and Kate Spade
I am here to tell you that with a little creativity you too CAN survive football season. If you follow my suggestions Its even possible to end up with a new skill (or habit) once the season’s over. If you are the type of woman that enjoys football, just as much as the guys, then this post is not for you. I am speaking to those who aren’t into it, but who tolerate the obsession because they love their man. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. In fact I get him a newer and bigger TV every year so that he can watch in complete HD perfection. I feel like if he isn’t bothering you during Scandal season or Real Housewives of Wherever, then let him have football!! Trust me there are worse things he could be doing!
In case you were wondering he is a diehard LIONS fan!!
BMWK – How Do you Deal With Your Mates Football Obsession?