Too Much Football!

[Gordon_Sims]

Here’s the way I see this–to me, you sound like you feel “superior” to all those poor ignorant football fanatics. YOU can actually hold a “real” discussion. YOU can discuss with alacrity all kinds of topics, including sensitive family topics like “kids, work, whatever.” YOU don’t need a TV.

In fact, I see this in several posters–an attitude of superiority.

It could be…that perhaps that’s why you don’t get along with the other relatives. They see you as snobbish and “uppity.” It’s no fun being around people who insist that the only way to “bond” with family is to engage in a deep and spiritual discussion.

Sadly, there are a LOT of families who know that engaging in a deep and spiritual discussion would no doubt end with a bitter family argument, hurt feelings, screaming, and departing in anger. If your family isn’t one of these families, you are indeed deeply blessed. But many families have “baggage” and “issues” and various mental and emotional illnesses (e.g., alcoholism), and sitting around a Thanksgiving table sharing their thoughts and feelings is NOT the best way to handle this. It won’t help.

For these families, a football game can become a temporary peaceful gathering place where for a few hours, they can all agree that “their” team is the best team and have a jolly good time cheering on their team and discussing the superior merits of their team. The children can see their parents and relatives getting along, and this gives them a warm, secure feeling about their family that they would never get from a tense and stilted “conversation” that in all probability, will turn into a family argument.

Don’t lash out at ME. Think about what I’m telling you and consider the possibility that I’m telling you something that you need to hear. Get off your high horse and mingle. Or observe with pleasure your family and friends–no need to judge them. Just enjoy. The time goes fast and before you know it, they’re gone.

I actually used to be into sports quite a bit and had no problem with the TV on through Thanksgiving dinner. It just got to the point where it was taken to such an extreme that it got to be too much of a stressor for me. I can handle hours of the inane, repetitive conversation about the trivialities of my cousin’s uneventful, do-nothing life, but the exuberant, barking, vulgar conversations about how all “we” need is to win this game while that team loses, or if they win, then this other team needs to win this week but lose next week so that…wait a second, hold on–oops, spilled my beer–let me check my fantasy football stats while…TOUCHDOWN! TAKE THAT, MOTHA******!

You’re right, I’m missing out on some engaging, fascinating discussions.

For the record, I don’t insist on deep, spiritual discussions. I welcome them when they come, but I know it’s not something most of the family is into. However, I’d much rather hear about what Ed’s been up to since the last time I saw him than watch him poke away at his phone in between swigs of beer. And if Bart wants to get loud and vulgar about something, I’d personally rather hear him griping about the rough week he had rather than hear him yelling obscenities at the screen. Heck, I’d even prefer a board game, singing around the piano or some other activity, but we can’t do those anymore because the sports take precedence and drown out any attempts for us to do things along those lines. To give a little more perspective, I got an email a couple weeks ago that off-handedly mentioned several huge happenings in the lives of a couple relatives. I’d seen them several times since those things occurred but knew nothing about them. I did know how they did in the weekly football pool, which games they’d been to, and which expletives their kids tend to repeat when they’re talking about the game. There’s another family member who has worked in the same industry as me for at least the last 15 years. I’ve tried to talk shop with him countless times. I have no clue what he actually does or who he works for. I do know who several of his favorite players are, what he thought about this or that trade and why hates this general manager. I couldn’t tell you much more about him than that. You’re right that it all goes too fast, but once they’re gone I’d like to be able to remember something more than the fact that we couldn’t take our kids around this one on game day, or that this other one had the uncanny ability to block out the world when the game started.

 

[Cat]

I actually used to be into sports quite a bit and had no problem with the TV on through Thanksgiving dinner. It just got to the point where it was taken to such an extreme that it got to be too much of a stressor for me. I can handle hours of the inane, repetitive conversation about the trivialities of my cousin’s uneventful, do-nothing life, but the exuberant, barking, vulgar conversations about how all “we” need is to win this game while that team loses, or if they win, then this other team needs to win this week but lose next week so that…wait a second, hold on–oops, spilled my beer–let me check my fantasy football stats while…TOUCHDOWN! TAKE THAT, MOTHA******!

You’re right, I’m missing out on some engaging, fascinating discussions.

For the record, I don’t insist on deep, spiritual discussions. I welcome them when they come, but I know it’s not something most of the family is into. However, I’d much rather hear about what Ed’s been up to since the last time I saw him than watch him poke away at his phone in between swigs of beer. And if Bart wants to get loud and vulgar about something, I’d personally rather hear him griping about the rough week he had rather than hear him yelling obscenities at the screen. Heck, I’d even prefer a board game, singing around the piano or some other activity, but we can’t do those anymore because the sports take precedence and drown out any attempts for us to do things along those lines. To give a little more perspective, I got an email a couple weeks ago that off-handedly mentioned several huge happenings in the lives of a couple relatives. I’d seen them several times since those things occurred but knew nothing about them. I did know how they did in the weekly football pool, which games they’d been to, and which expletives their kids tend to repeat when they’re talking about the game. There’s another family member who has worked in the same industry as me for at least the last 15 years. I’ve tried to talk shop with him countless times. I have no clue what he actually does or who he works for. I do know who several of his favorite players are, what he thought about this or that trade and why hates this general manager. I couldn’t tell you much more about him than that. You’re right that it all goes too fast, but once they’re gone I’d like to be able to remember something more than the fact that we couldn’t take our kids around this one on game day, or that this other one had the uncanny ability to block out the world when the game started.

What you have to do is learn how to interpret what they’re saying about themselves during the game, even if they don’t actually say anything. Read their faces, their body language, their smiles or lack of smiles.

Or learn how to take advantage of the boring commercials (the non-funny ones about investments, etc.) to ask tiny questions about their lives, and get tiny answers. E.g., “So buddy, how’s the business goin’?” Answer: “Ngnnhah…‘s ok. I guess. Ain’t gettin’ rich out of it.”

Depending on the facial expression and body language, that response actually tells you a lot about “the business” and your loved one.

Try these ideas.

 

[Cat]

Hey, how about that Auburn/Alabama game?!!! What an ending!

I have no interest in either of these colleges, but I’m still thrilled over such a fantastic ending to a game. The young man who ran that TD must still be walking on air. Hope he’s able to parlay it into a great career, not necessarily in football, but in something that he loves.

 

[mikekle]

I dont understand why so many men like football, or any sport for that matter as well. I am 38 yr old man, and my parents never watched or cared about sports, so we were never exposed to that sort of thing growing up, so I never took an interest, however I have tried watching it in the past, just to see what the big deal was, but imo, it is very boring, and makes no difference whether a team wins or looses, it literally makes no difference in my life one way or the other LOL

Im assuming lots of men have money on the games though, so then the picture becomes a bit more clear as to why such things are so popular.

I always joke with some guy friends I have that get into sports, I say things like…Gee, I dont get into watching millionaires chasing a little ball around for entertainment LOL

I can find better things to spend my time on than watching sports anyway!

 

[Cat]

Here’s what I (and many other people) hear you saying: “I can find better things to spend my time on than watching sports” = “Those of you who are watching sports are doing something that is inferior to the things that I am doing.”

In other words, you sound like a snob.

No, lots of men do NOT have money on the games.

The reason men and WOMEN (like me) like sports is because we enjoy “the human drama of athletic competition.” (Quote written by Jim McKay for Wide World of Sports).

Many sports involve strategy, and strategy is interesting and suspenseful. What will the coach tell the team to do? Will the strategy succeed? Or is the other team anticipating their move, and planning to circumvent it?

Do you like chess? Many sports are like life-sized games of chess.

And it’s not just the men’s big team sports that have strategy. My family has been involved with the sport of figure skating for several decades, not only as spectators, but as participants. (My husband and my daughters all skate or have skated competitively, and my younger daughter has coached synchronized skating teams–invited for the first time this year to represent the U.S. overseas–for 11 years.)

It may not seem that figure skating has “strategy,” but it does, especially with the International Judging System, which is a points system. A coach (and skater or team) have to create a program that includes enough elements to earn the highest number of points of all the competitors. BUT the only elements that earn points are those that are successfully completed. If the skater or team botches the element, no points are awarded. So you’d better not include elements that are “hit and miss.”

Even during the programs, a skater will tally up the points they have earned, and if they miss something, they will often attempt to add an element that will earn back the points that they missed on the flubbed elements, and this strategy can backfire if they DON’T land the elements–they’ll lose even more points! (A synchronized skating team can’t really do this, since 16 people are on the ice, and they can’t make a simultaneous decision on the fly.)

A sport is “drama” because no one knows who the winner will be and how the win will be achieved.

Many people enjoy watching sports because we appreciate the beauty of human beings who are in peak condition pushing their bodies to achieve magnificent physical feats. It makes us remember the Lord God, the Creator of Man.

Finally, as we have discussed in this thread, many people enjoy sports because it is a social activity that gets them interacting with other human beings. Even a person who lives all alone can be cheering along with all the other fans in the world, and this gives them a sense of connection with fellow humans. I know many elderly people who love a sports team or an athlete, and never miss their competitions.

 

[Mimi20]

imo, it is very boring, and makes no difference whether a team wins or looses, it literally makes no difference in my life one way or the other LOL

I have family that to a certain extent is into sports as well but I personally agree with this statement. I’ve never had an interest nor care to. I don’t gain anything from it personally, and honestly, when I die, I’m not going to look back and think, “Oh, I should’ve watched more sports/football etc!”

Here’s what I (and many other people) hear you saying: “I can find better things to spend my time on than watching sports” = “Those of you who are watching sports are doing something that is inferior to the things that I am doing.”

In other words, you sound like a snob.

No, lots of men do NOT have money on the games.

The reason men and WOMEN (like me) like sports is because we enjoy “the human drama of athletic competition.” (Quote written by Jim McKay for Wide World of Sports).

Many sports involve strategy, and strategy is interesting and suspenseful. What will the coach tell the team to do? Will the strategy succeed? Or is the other team anticipating their move, and planning to circumvent it?
…

Cat, I’d like to respectfully point out that you come across as easily riled and overly intense in your post(s). I’m sure you’ve read far too much into these people’s statements. I’ve heard plenty of times, “I could think of better things to do with my time than ___” I even used it myself but don’t take it personally.
Whether they mean a.) I simply garner more pleasure/stimulus from other activities or b.) what I consider you to be engaging in inferior, it’s a matter of opinion. Not everyone in the world is willing or can force themselves to feign interest in topics they do not garner value. Its a varied world.
Adieu.

 

[EasterJoy]

Any non-sports discussions we had were limited to me asking, “So what’s up with [whatever],” then sitting there waiting for an answer that never came. Or, I’d start talking about something that happened with me, my kids, work, whatever, get a disinterested grunt and/or nod, then I’d finally trail off and go see what the kids were doing. And, no, I wasn’t surprised by these conversations at all.

Ok, but how much do you have to talk about on 4th of July? It is possible that you are beating a dead conversational horse.

We got to watch a little football before Thanksgiving afternoon, but other than that we don’t get to watch any TV with one set of relatives at Thanksgiving, even when we host. They pretty much decide that we will have background music and will not have anything on TV. There are also topics we have learned to avoid and entrenched opinions we do not challenge, lest we be deemed to have a character defect. To be blunt, we talk about what they want to talk about, the kids amuse themselves in the approved ways, and we pretend this is great with us. It’s just easier that way. Some things, you learn to accept.

 

[Viki63]

I prefer almost anything to watching football, and thankfully, our relatives prefer soccer (yay!)
However, anything is better than what’s becoming the new custom: everybody getting up after Thanksgiving dinner and heading out for shopping!
I was shocked when it happened last year, and when we were invited this year and our relative “wasn’t sure” if they would go shopping again that day, we declined and went out to eat at a restaurant.
Sitting around in a food coma watching boring football is not a lot of fun, but it beats being abandoned while the relatives all head to Walmart. Trying to decide whether to host some people at my house next year.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

What you have to do is learn how to interpret what they’re saying about themselves during the game, even if they don’t actually say anything. Read their faces, their body language, their smiles or lack of smiles.

Or learn how to take advantage of the boring commercials (the non-funny ones about investments, etc.) to ask tiny questions about their lives, and get tiny answers. E.g., “So buddy, how’s the business goin’?” Answer: “Ngnnhah…‘s ok. I guess. Ain’t gettin’ rich out of it.”

Depending on the facial expression and body language, that response actually tells you a lot about “the business” and your loved one.

Try these ideas.

Been there, done that. I think it’s ridiculous that those of us who don’t sit there yelling obscenities at the screen or staring blankly and refusing to even respond to others are the ones who are painted as the oddballs in this scenario. We’ve had to reschedule family events because a big game, or just any game, was on. We’ve been asked numerous times whether we can’t just skip a day when it came to things like going to Mass just so the sports crowd wasn’t inconvenienced. They’ve thrown fits because, no, we couldn’t skip going to a special Mass for one of the kids, which meant they would either have to miss part of a game or alter their viewing schedule. The really nutty part of this is that a lot of the non-sports crowd has conceded and will side with the sports crowd, joining in on the call to reschedule baptisms or whatever by a few months so that we don’t have to worry about someone missing Sports Center or Game Day. That’s taken as acceptable while we’re viewed as unreasonable when we say we want them to function without the TV for an hour.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

Ok, but how much do you have to talk about on 4th of July? It is possible that you are beating a dead conversational horse.

If you haven’t seen someone in a month or more, there’s always at least something that’s transpired that they can mention. The kids have done something, they’ve watched at least some non-sports TV or movies, they’ve been to work or the store, etc. These are the sorts of questions we often can’t get answers to because the WNBA or golf is on.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Been there, done that. I think it’s ridiculous that those of us who don’t sit there yelling obscenities at the screen or staring blankly and refusing to even respond to others are the ones who are painted as the oddballs in this scenario. We’ve had to reschedule family events because a big game, or just any game, was on. We’ve been asked numerous times whether we can’t just skip a day when it came to things like going to Mass just so the sports crowd wasn’t inconvenienced. They’ve thrown fits because, no, we couldn’t skip going to a special Mass for one of the kids, which meant they would either have to miss part of a game or alter their viewing schedule. The really nutty part of this is that a lot of the non-sports crowd has conceded and will side with the sports crowd, joining in on the call to reschedule baptisms or whatever by a few months so that we don’t have to worry about someone missing Sports Center or Game Day. That’s taken as acceptable while we’re viewed as unreasonable when we say we want them to function without the TV for an hour.

Completely agree. Moderation in all things including sports. If you invite people over to watch a game that is one thing. But to be there for another purpose - thanksgiving dinner- than sports or another ball consuming activity needs to take a backseat. Refusing to answer a few simple questions or engage in a reasonable conversation among relatives/friends is just rude. Expecting someone to interprept grunts or body language is over the top.
This culture is obsessed with sport to an unhealthy degree. there was just as much strategy and physical prowess in the past and people managed to enjoy a game without having it take over every family get together.

 

[EasterJoy]

If you haven’t seen someone in a month or more, there’s always at least something that’s transpired that they can mention. The kids have done something, they’ve watched at least some non-sports TV or movies, they’ve been to work or the store, etc. These are the sorts of questions we often can’t get answers to because the WNBA or golf is on.

If you’re being ignored for golf and the WNBA, too, I suspect the TV is not the main issue. It could be, since ESPN addictions are hardly unknown, but it also could be that you and they lack any mutually-esteemed topics.

I know many people who absolutely do not want to talk about work outside of work, and especially with not with people outside their field. I haven’t watched a movie in ages, and if I had I fail to see why that topic is superior to the NFL standings. When I go to relatives, I don’t talk about my volunteer work because I don’t want to hear their opinion about it again. I hate talking about going to the store because I don’t want to be pumped about whether I am saving as much as someone else (talk about competitive! ) i read books, but we don’t talk about them. We talk about their topics, because I got tired of seeing the topics I am actually interested in lay there like a stinking fish. Would you be surprised to hear I don’t exactly look forward to these conversations as a highlight of our holiday gathering?

This may not be your fault, I certainly doubt you are not in good faith, but I can say that it only takes a certain amount of having one’s own topics rejected in favor of “better” conversational fare before conversation becomes a penance or some kind of civics exam. I think it telling, for instance, that certain of my relatives actually take it upon themselves to “approve” how my kids amuse themselves at their house. For some reason a board game that no one else joins them in is “better” than something electronic would have been. My kids don’t happen to care one way or the other, but what is with that? It’s as if it is the kids’ role to fill out some pre-ordained role in a Norman Rockwell tableau, and the board game is deemed “fitting”. If the goal were to find a game everyone would enjoy, that would be different, but the goal seems to be to exclude amusements that the hosts don’t engage in themselves, even when they have zero chance of joining in.

Trying asking “how are your teams doing this year?” some time. It will say that you actually want to hear about the things they care about, and not only the things that interest you. That may thaw things a bit. Then you could ask if they’re in any leagues themselves and if they’ve been enjoying those, oh that’s too bad how long has their back been bothering them, and who knows after that.

Just don’t ask questions when somebody has decided to go for it on 4th and six. Trust me on that one!

 

[Captain_America]

Even the chest-pounders for TV Couch Sports have to admit that a loud television quickly kills conversation.

As a society, it’s likely we’d be better at conversation if we had more, rather than fewer, opportunities for it.

(Personally, as a man, the older I get the more I see “guys like sports” as a limiting stereotype). I say this as an old jock, who still plays, and who lettered in HS and college.

 

[EasterJoy]

Yes, the sound needs to be down if the TV is going to be on at all, unless the TV is the reason for the party. If it is an important game, sure, treat the viewers the way you would want to be treated if you were watching a movie that was only being shown in this time slot. It is wise to learn when to speak and when to refrain from interrupting, just like any other show.

It is a good idea to communicate about all this in advance: that is, I want a chance to talk to you, but I don’t want to be an irritant. Maybe you can get an agreement to learn to leave them alone when a team is in the red zone or there is a certain amount of time on the clock, and they can remember to stir themselves to mingle when it is halftime or the game isn’t close, and to choose to limit the number of games watched. When the division standings are on the line, that’s one thing, but do we need to watch the 3-9 team play the 2-10 team? Look for give and take; it won’t kill anyone.

 

[on_the_hill]

When I was a kid, the prime motivation for Thanksgiving at grandma’s house was Thanksgiving. Even though my family and my cousins were there for nearly every Sunday supper 52 times a year, Thanksgiving was in and of itself special. The house was small, but the joy and cacophony and table spread were large. My grandfather nearly always had the TV tuned to whatever game was on but the set was always off when we ate.

We all loved football but it never interfered with anything else.

By the time I got older, those days passed and I started celebrating Thanksgiving at my wife’s parents. The holiday had changed for me. For years, I thought nothing would be more cozy and relaxing than to sit down with a cold beer and have nothing to do but watch football games. And I tried. I really, really tried. Maybe I never drank enough.

But frankly, the games are meaningless to me now. I simply don’t care. No one else seems to care, either.

So nowadays there’s hardly any Thanksgiving Day football to speak of, unless someone gets bored and they turn on the TV and start channel surfing.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

From an outside perspective it may look like no one is talking and that it’s all about the game, but I have watched a lot of football with a lot of people, and I have never watched in a group where no one talked between plays or over halftime. If your Thanksgiving consists of people watching football and literally not talking to you or anyone else about anything, then why talk to those people anyway? They clearly aren’t interested in you so just leave them to the game.

I spent almost all of Thanksgiving watching football. My husband and I were glued to the couch with several other relatives except over halftime and dinner. People came in and out of the den and watched and talked. It wasn’t a big deal and the volume was pretty low.

If I went to some sort of no-football Thanksgiving, I probably wouldn’t stay long. My husband and I probably would have found a group of relatives to search out a sports bar with and watch there. Football is one of the few ways that my brother and I really get to enjoy each other as siblings, since there is a two decade age difference. But drinking beer, eating, and cheering loudly for the same team is special to us. (It’s also one of the ways my husband and brother bonded.) I wouldn’t give that up to mingle with relatives that I only see once a year and don’t know well.

 

[EasterJoy]

If you had to pick once a year with those relatives, July 4th might be better timing. No major sports and if there is anything that gets NFL fans away from the TV it is a charcoal grill loaded with bratwurst!

If they stay inside to watch baseball when there are beers and brats and fire outside, they are a lost cause!

 

[BlueEyedLady]

If you had to pick once a year with those relatives, July 4th might be better timing. No major sports and if there is anything that gets NFL fans away from the TV it is a charcoal grill loaded with bratwurst!

If they stay inside to watch baseball when there are beers and brats and fire outside, they are a lost cause!

I agree that the 4th would be better timing.

But, my family has been known to occasionally grill during Thanksgiving and Christmas if it is a lean year and no one can really afford to go all-out with a huge meal. My brother is the griller in the family and I usually pitch in quite a bit, so we just bring a small TV outside to watch the game together while we cook.

 

[Cat]

From an outside perspective it may look like no one is talking and that it’s all about the game, but I have watched a lot of football with a lot of people, and I have never watched in a group where no one talked between plays or over halftime. If your Thanksgiving consists of people watching football and literally not talking to you or anyone else about anything, then why talk to those people anyway? They clearly aren’t interested in you so just leave them to the game.

I spent almost all of Thanksgiving watching football. My husband and I were glued to the couch with several other relatives except over halftime and dinner. People came in and out of the den and watched and talked. It wasn’t a big deal and the volume was pretty low.

If I went to some sort of no-football Thanksgiving, I probably wouldn’t stay long. My husband and I probably would have found a group of relatives to search out a sports bar with and watch there. Football is one of the few ways that my brother and I really get to enjoy each other as siblings, since there is a two decade age difference. But drinking beer, eating, and cheering loudly for the same team is special to us. (It’s also one of the ways my husband and brother bonded.) I wouldn’t give that up to mingle with relatives that I only see once a year and don’t know well.

Yes, this is where I’m coming from, minus the beer! We don’t usually have the television on at all when there is a family dinner. But if the Bears are playing, or if for some reason, someone wants to watch a certain sporting event (my brother-in-law is a soccer coach and has soccer network on constantly), we’ll turn on the set and keep an eye on it. We continue talking through the game or competition, and kids keep playing and it’s just nice family time.

I think your first paragraph makes so much practical sense. If the people don’t want to talk to you during the commercials, or halftime, then why are you interested in talking to them at all? Really good point!

I can’t help but relate this all to figure skating. Before the days of VCRs and before everything went online (we now watch a lot of our figure skating through Ice Network rather than network TV), we faithfully watched every figure skating competition, especially the Nationals and Worlds. **During the major competitions, we would not attend family events unless there was an agreement that we would be able to have the television on and be able to watch the figure skating competition. **

When we lived in North Carolina, I remember attending a Winter Olympics party with church friends (Evangelical Protestant, therefore no alcohol!), where the Olympics were on TV and everyone sat and ate and chatted.

My husband and I glued ourselves to the television and watched figure skating, oblivious to everyone and everything else in the room (kind of like the football fanatics described in this thread). Everyone in the room was laughing at the figure skating, but eventually, when they saw that we were truly interested in the competition, and that we actually understood what we were watching–they backed off making fun, and started asking us questions about the sport.

A lot of people were quite surprised–apparently a lot of people at that party had always assumed that figure skating isn’t really a “real sport.” Well, we gave THEM an earful of technical knowledge, and I think they left with changed viewpoints.

I always remember that party whenever I’ve been tempted to ridicule someone’s passion over sports. If you don’t have a passion for sports, be aware that others do. For me and my husband, figure skating isn’t merely a recreation–it is one of the most important aspects of our family life. It means everything to us.

If you want to see sports fanaticism–join us and our daughters sometimes when we are able to attend live synchronized skating competitions together. The conversation is fast and lively and highly technical, and we love every minute of it.

Last year, I attended a Sectional synchronized skating competition, and hung out with my daughter and her fellow coaches one evening. We went to an early dinner at a sports bar, and since only a few people were in the bar, we asked the bartender if he could switch some of the TVs to the figure skating world championships (which were on at that time). You should have heard THAT conversation! I actually bowed out after a few minutes, as the coaches, with all their technical knowledge and experience, went way over my head! But it was so much fun to listen to and I learned so much.

I think the bartenders and waitresses were completely floored. Most people are not used to thinking of figure skating as a real sport, and our little group made it clear that this competition wasn’t just a beauty contest. We were as serious in our viewing as football or NASCAR fans!

My point is this–live and let live. There’s no point getting upset about sports fans. If they are as committed to their favorite sport as we are about figure skating, you’ll only upset them, and possibly make them angry, and then they probably will stop attending family events. I think EasterJoy’s advice is good–try to get together with sports fanatics at times when there isn’t a game or competition. The football season is woefully short–starts in August (pre-season), and it’s done in February after the Super Bowl. Very short. Figure skating season is even shorter–starts in October, and it’s done by the end of February.

But true sports fanatics will be involved with their sport all year long! So the best thing to do is accept people for who they are and not get upset with them.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

But true sports fanatics will be involved with their sport all year long! So the best thing to do is accept people for who they are and not get upset with them.

Very true. During the offseason my phone alerts me if my team makes a trade, drops a player, if a player got in trouble, whatever. I get news alert updates. Actually, DH and I have different favorite teams we kind of adopted each others, so anytime anything happens with one of two teams I’m alerted immediately. We watch MNF every week regardless of who is playing, and every week we are sure to watch both my team and his. If they play at the same time we go to a sports bar and ask to be seated in view of both. Our friends are pretty used to us having to check the football schedule before making any plans on Sundays, Mondays, or Thursdays, and the draft is essentially a holiday in my home.