My life changed when I started dating #68.
The good comes with the bad when it comes to dating a college athlete, but college football players are a different animal. If you are like me and don't particularly have a love for football (or pretty much sports in general), getting used to the obsession of sports is definitely a challenge. Something that I was never interested in suddenly became a huge part of my life -- games on weekends, conversations about fantasy football, and watching Madden during free time. I never knew a sport could change so many aspects of my life.
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1. The smell.
Have you ever smelled their football gloves? It is a haunting smell that I imagine cavemen smelled like in the summer. Also, their hands have the same smell, but it does not go away. I've tried washing his hands with dish soap, hand sanitizer, and my strongest smelling hand cream. The stench lingers no matter what I do.
2. The games.
Being a good girlfriend is very important to me. Don’t get me wrong, this article might seem like I am complaining, but I do go to most games. If it is an hour away from me, I’ll get there. If it is 12 degrees out, I’ll be there. To your football boyfriend, you need to be their number one fan. I will whine as much as I do that my butt is freezing on the metal bleachers, but I will still support something that is so important to you.
3. The culture.
Sundays are dedicated to watching football. I will watch maybe two out of the 11 hours that it will be on, and it is interesting to watch the people who watch football. They are so invested in the game that their facial expressions are hilarious. It is also interesting to watch how people get dressed up to attend games in the stadium -- their makeup is on fleek.
4. The time commitment.
They practice, have games, have a million meetings with the team, recruits, and team dinners -- the list goes on. They spend hours on team things that I sometimes question who he is actually dating. (“Do you want to go out to dinner?” “Can’t. I have dinner with the team.”) Then you have to plan around how tired they are from football; they work so hard that their bodies just can’t take anything other than hanging around playing Madden.
5. They live for football.
They have their team, their games, they watch football, fantasy football, they talk about football with their friends every chance they get, and they play Madden. This is a lifestyle and it is 80 percent of what they think about, I promise.
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6. You get to wear their jersey number.
I wear the number 68 happily. I may not be the biggest football fan but I’m my boyfriend’s biggest fan, and I am amazingly proud of the things he is capable of.
7. You get to meet all their team friends.
We can’t walk anywhere together on campus without him saying “hi” to at least five people from the team. There is a major possibility that they will suddenly start talking about football. Just the other day my boyfriend and I were waiting in line together in the dining hall and his friends walked up to wait in line too. They all started talking about football in the omelet line. It is always time to talk about football.
8. They are super strong and care about health.
They know what they are doing when it comes to going to the gym, and they know their way around healthy food. They are a wealth of information to take advantage of and start going to the gym too.
8. A reason to celebrate.
Maybe they won a game or their favorite team won a game, they are very happy and it is a hundred times better than when they lose a game. If you're happy, I'm happy.
9. Those pictures together after a game.
I always wanted to take one of those pictures where their face paint is smudged but they are grinning because they won the game. I always wanted to be the girl next to a football player that says that I support you, and I am so happy you won.
I want to be a part of your victories and there to try different ways to get rid of that smell on your gloves. I want to wear your big sweatshirt with your number on it on the freezing cold bleachers. I want to make taco dip for you and your friends on Sundays. Being a football girlfriend is an experience to say the least but I’m warming up to it.
Thanks, #68.
