How to Become a Pro Football Fan

Becoming a football fan usually happens naturally: you were raised in a family who liked to watch football, your high school boyfriend was the starting quarterback, or something about the game just spoke to you. But what happens when you’ve never developed a taste for the game — and you marry someone who absolutely loves it? It could mean many lonely winter months for you unless you learn to embrace the sport that has captivated your husband.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Talk to your husband. Ask him what he loves so much about the game. Maybe he’s fascinated by the quick reflexes needed to avoid being tackled, or perhaps he admires the teamwork involved in scoring a goal.
2. Ask questions. There are a lot of rules involved in pro football, and it’s going to take quite a while to learn them all — or even some of them. When you don’t understand something, speak up. Most men are happy to teach you about something they love.
3. Get behind a team. If your spouse is a fan, he undoubtedly has a favorite team. Make his team your team. It’s much more fun to watch a game if you can honestly get excited about “your” team, rather than “his” team.
4. Bet on the games. Lots of men get so worked up about football because they make wagers on the outcome. Use that same strategy to get yourself involved in the games. Make bets with your husband—it could be who picks the next movie, who does a dreaded chore, or something even more fun!

Tips & Warnings

• Try to keep an open mind as you learn more about football. If you’ve always dismissed it as a brainless sport where grown men tackle each other for fun, it’s probably going to be tough to reassess that long-held belief. Be patient with yourself.
• Get to know your new team by learning about its players. Start with the quarterback, and ask your spouse to tell you interesting stories about him, the other players, and the coaches. Women tend to be more interested in stories than statistics.
• If you make bets with your husband about the game—and you’re betting something that really matters to you—you’re more likely to do research on the teams and their players to make sure you’re making a smart bet. The added bonus is that you’re learning more about the game as you’re ensuring your bet is a smart one.
• It might sound like good, clean fun to become a “superfan” of the main rival of your husband’s favorite team. But most fans are zealous, and your household could become a war zone on Sundays if you decide to root for “the enemy.”