Sports were never really my thing. The most contact I had with high school sports was performing halftime with the marching band during football games. Not only did I not understand sports, I just wasn't interested.
As I was preparing to come to college in Boston, however, I knew I had to prepare myself for the notorious Boston sports culture, and the diehard fans that come with it. Sure, I knew the team names: Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins, but that was basically the extent of my knowledge.
I never thought in a million years I would date a sports fanatic. It's not that I have anything against sports, I just didn't understand the obsession-level appeal. But when I met Zach, and he told me he is studying to become a sports journalist, I internally rolled my eyes and silently passed judgement. I didn't intend on falling for him the way he intended to fall for me, sports aside. Here are 10 things everyone who dates a sports fanatic can relate to.
1. Listening to him talk about sports on a daily basis.
When dating a sports fanatic, sports become a topic in your daily conversation. When you ask, "How was your day?" over dinner, his answer somewhat relies on how his teams did that day. He is so passionate about sports, that you enjoy listening to him talk about it. You may not understand what he's saying, but you still don't mind listening.
2. Your plans revolve around when the game is on.
When making plans for the evening or the weekend, you guys have to schedule around when the game is on. "Sure, babe, we can go out, but can we go after the Bruins game?" or "The Red Sox are playing at 8, so we have to be home by then." It's endearing, really.
3. You spend money on tickets to games.
Even if you don't care about or understand sports, because your significant other cares so much about it, you do too, by default. What's important to him is important to you. So, you spend the $100 on tickets to a Celtics game without thinking twice about it, because you know how happy it will make him. And even if you can't name a single player on the Celtics team, you know you both will have a blast at the game together!
4. Every T shirt he owns is sports related.
When you first started dating, you thought it was just a coincidence that he always hung around the house with sports T shirts on. Now you realize that's all he has in his closet. Doing laundry is a sports logo overload.
5. He spends a lot of time on his phone tracking all his Fantasy teams.
You don't really understand what a Fantasy team is or how it works, but you do know that he gets happy and shouts "Yes!" when he gets certain notifications regarding his Fantasy players. On the other hand, he also may whisper "Damn," when on his phone, and start whining that such-and-such a player got hurt. You don't know who that is, or how that impacts him, but again, because he cares, you do too.
6. He loves to eat in sports bars.
When going out for casual drinks after work, and it's his turn to choose a place, he always picks his favorite sports bar. He orders a burger and fries, a beer, and gets hyped up over whatever game is on that night. Seeing him celebrate brings a smile to your face; if he's happy, you are too.
7. He tries to get you to understand and like sports.
He makes the effort to explain sports to you, because he wants you to understand his passion. When you don't understand something, he doesn't get frustrated. He breaks it down, cuts out as much of the sports jargon as possible, and really shows that he cares. Because he loves sports, he wants you to love sports too. So you try, you really do.
8. You go to all of his games.
If your sports fanatic is also an athlete, you understand the responsibility of going to all his games. He insists you don't have to come if you don't want to, but you always do because you love seeing him play. Even if that means sitting on cold bleachers in 30 degree weather, you do it without a second thought, because you love seeing him out on the field or court. He shines out there, and you love supporting him.
9. All his Tweets are sports-related.
Even though you follow your significant other on Twitter, you rarely understand what he Tweets because it is all sports-related. He rarely Tweets anything that doesn't have to do with sports, so at this point you just scroll over him on your Timeline.
10. You adore him anyway.
His obsession with sports is more endearing than it is annoying, but every once in a while it may get under your skin. But you adore him just the way he is, and you would never want him to change. You'll always be his biggest cheerleader.
