I am the only child of an avid sports lover. Well, as luck would have it, I'm a girl. This, however, did not phase my football-loving father. On Saturdays, I became his "son," and no one (and by no one, I mean my mom) was to even think about touching the remote to change the channel from a football game. It doesn't matter who is playing, NCAA football is all we watch on Saturdays. Growing up watching these games religiously on the weekends left me with no choice but to learn what was going on. Dad had to teach me the ins and outs of the game so that he had someone to talk it out with. "Now sit down and watch this replay. See if you can tell me what went wrong." "They threw the flag because the defense was off sides." "Did you see that pick 6??" You see, I have no choice but to be at least a bit knowledgeable, and I love it.

I live for Saturdays in the fall, and when people ask my favorite season, I respond with "football." I think it gives me an advantage being a girl who knows a little about the sport. I love the look on a guy's face when I reveal some of my knowledge about what's going on. People just assume that because I am a female there's no way I could know anything about a boy's sport, and I love proving them wrong. Some boys are intimidated by this. Nine times out of ten, though, you'll get MAJOR brownie points for being able to keep up with the guys. I may wear make up sometimes, but don't let this sweet smile fool you. I can hang with the best of them. I don't know the specifics of every position or which route to run if we're up against a 4-3 defense. But don't you dare count me out. I'm not oblivious, and I'm not afraid to prove you wrong.

Girls, do me a favor and learn a little about the game and the team if you're going to cheer for someone or something. Please don't make us all look like we think home runs are scored in football and that a spiral is something you do to ribbons on presents. And boys, don't assume we're all clueless. If we don't know something, teach us! I'm always up for learning more about the game or my favorite team (Go Tigers!!!)

I'm proud to be a girl who knows a little about man's game of football. My strong personality isn't afraid to let you know that, either. Speak up if you know what's going on! Surprise people! And ladies, get ready...kickoff is in 81 days!!!