5 Ways Becoming A Football Fan Will Improve Your Relationship

I am one of three girls. My parents never had a boy, and I’m forever convinced they had me to fill that void. I’m an enormous football fan, to the point I’m pursuing a professional career involving the sport. However, I’m in the minority. I know most women did not grow up on football, and most don’t understand how the game works. I’ve had a lot of my friends throughout the years ask me to teach them at least the basics of football, and it’s always exciting for me to teach another woman about the sport that I find so beautiful.

I always tell my friends that I think being able to enjoy a football game because you understand it really helps in romantic relationships. To take it a step further, if you don’t have a team already, learning to cheer for your man’s team can really help a relationship. I’m not a psychologist by any means, and certainly not a relationship expert. What I am, though, is a football-loving woman who has had endless men tell me how much they wish their significant other would sit down and not just watch, but ENJOY football with them. Here’s why taking some time develop an interest his football team could make your relationship even stronger.

1. Creates an activity you can do together.

Whether it’s going to a game in person, or just making plans to watch a game at your local bar, being able to watch football with your man gives you guys something to do together. It’s low maintenance, doesn’t require a ton of effort and can be really cheap. If you are able to spend a few bucks, football games are one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to gifts and surprising your man. Even if you get him nosebleeds and his team is 0-10, he’s going to be stoked. While you can definitely tag along to watch or go to games without having any knowledge of the game, being able to truly engage makes the experience better for both of you. Seeing you invested will make him have a better time, and knowing what is going on in the game will make your time there a lot more enjoyable. It’s a win/win.

2. Gives you more opportunities to hang out with his friends.

Let’s face it: football is usually associated with “the guys.” That’s at least three hours out of a Saturday or Sunday that he’ll designate to guy time. If he knows watching the game is important to you also, he’s more likely to include you in those plans. Whether guys admit it or not, their friends liking you is important to them. Becoming interested in football gives you more opportunities to spend with his friends in a fun, casual setting. Seeing you invest into something he likes will definitely win you points with them and give you all something to talk about, even when it’s not a game day.

3. Expands your topics of conversation.

I can’t tell you how easy it is to start a conversation with a guy about football. Learning a little about the game gives you something light hearted to talk about throughout the day. Once you really become invested in a team, you’ll be shocked at how many little tidbits come out in the news about the players, the team as a whole, and the league as a whole every single day. Developing an interest in a team and in the sport just gives you one more thing in a common to keep you connected through conversation.

4. Guys love to feel like they’re teaching you something.

Men like to feel needed. They also like to feel like you’re learning something from them. Once you learn the basics of the game, and you start to follow a team, you’re going to have a lot of questions. He’ll likely have the answers. I’ve been at this for my entire life, and I still find myself asking questions about the game. It boosts their ego when they have solutions to problem. In this case, problem: you don’t understand something that happened, and he has the solution: an explanation. Ego boosted. Additionally, a male’s face always lights up when they talk about something they love, and that’s pretty adorable, too.

5. Bonding through winning and losing together.

If you’re a fan of another sport, or competitive in anyway, you know the emotions that came along with winning and losing. Experiencing loss or victory with another person is a way to bond with them. While losing is certainly a depressing experience, it’s still bonding, because for some reason, humans love to commiserate. At the very least, when his team loses, you’ll know if he complains about something stupid that night, that could be the reason.

Winning, on the other hand, is an extremely exciting experience to share with someone. Wouldn’t it be awesome if when he looked back at that time his team scored the go ahead touchdown in a playoff victory, he remembers you cheering along side him? Allowing yourself to actually invest in a team takes you along the emotional ride a football season inevitably is with him. It sounds silly, but trust me, give it one season, and you’ll understand.

The best part about all of this is that you get something out of it too. I promise that becoming a football fan is something you won’t regret, unless of course, you choose to become a Lions fan. Just kidding. Sort of, but you’ll understand that joke soon enough. To all the ladies who already indulge in this beautiful American pastime, keep up the good work.