<p>I don’t even know why I am asking- except I am dreading the upcoming & lengthy football season. I like baseball, I love soccer- but H is obsessed ( but not as much as I am with Pearl Jam )with football and it drives a wedge in our relationship throughout the fall and winter.</p>
<p>My oldest didn’t attend a high school or college that even had a football team, younger D used to go to her high school football games but that was to see the marching band. My own high school was the star of their division, and I started to understand the game when a friend whose dad was a coach would watch it and explain it to me- but now when I try I can’t even follow it.</p>
<p>I am not the sort of person who tries to change herself to make " her man happy" :rolleyes:, however- I recognize that he has put himself out lately to support me, and I am genuinely interested in at least trying to figure out the appeal of football enough to be able to enjoy a couple games ( but not on tv- I really don’t even watch baseball on television-) of course we don’t have a 50" screen like * some people*
;)</p>
<p>Plus D’s boyfriend, is the only one out of his family that * didn’t attend* University of Alabama,( including in-laws) and I am told that knowing something about football, will make small talk much easier.
:)</p>
<p>Anyone want to give some tips or insight into what makes it so appealing or help me understand the major aspects?</p>
<p>H loves pro basketball and college football. I never could really get into either. A few years ago, I started to listen to a radio sports talk show at work. (Jim Rome) It was the male “take” on things that I really enjoyed and still do. Now, at least I know the names of the players and can make the sports small talk. Now, I even enjoy playoff season (which I used to DREAD)</p>
<p>We have the reverse - I love football, especially college ball, and my H doesn’t care one way or the other. I love the strategy of the game, as well as the school spirit. I started to appreciate it when I started watching players other than the QB, and realized just how complicated the plays are. For me, it’s like watching chess, only faster, more physical (well, duh!), and much more exciting.</p>
<p>Another suggestion - tune in with him for the fourth quarter (if he’s watching on tv) - then you won’t feel like you wasted a whole afternoon, he might enjoy that you at least watched SOME of it with him AND the last quarter is often the most exciting cause a win will result!</p>
<p>One of the problems for me with watching on TV, is that I can’t tell the players apart. It is hard enough with baseball, but in football with all the padding and helmets you can’t even see them.</p>
<p>I guess I better get a football for dummies book- cause I don’t even know what all the positions are.
There is good reason why I like baseball, it is so slow I can follow it!</p>
<p>A 50" TV would actually increase your enjoyment by quite a bit - much easier to see what is going on, much easier to see the players’ names and numbers. They are not that expensive any more, you can get a 50" plasma for around $700.</p>
<p>Years ago my DW would complain about the whole “football widow” thing, although I was never all that bad - I’m not into college football, and I rarely will watch all three Sunday games in their entirety. She started watching, and after learning the basics, got into it to the point that she now listens to sports talk on the radio and plans things around the Patriots games.</p>
<p>Maybe emeraldkity4 and hayden can swap spouses for football season.</p>
<p>I admit it - I am a football junkie. I love college and pro. I grew up in the south and have such wonderful memories of Friday night football games. Then, I was off to college and I fell in love with the whole fall, Saturday afternoon spectacle that college football is. H and I have season tickets to BC (not southern football, but still a lot of fun) and I am so ready for the season to start. Several years ago, a fellow teacher came to me and told me that one of my former students told her that he thought I knew more about college football than anyone he knew! I got such a kick out of that - even though I know it isn’t true. I am already making plans to go see my beloved Pats during training camp. I don’t understand all the strategy involved, but I am able to carry on a fairly intelligent football conversation with my H and he is so good about explaining things to me I don’t understand. I like the suggestion of only watching the fourth quarter. You may slowly come over and fall in love with the game. SEC football is a religion so you do need to get one board to get along with the family! Good luck!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about that at first…focus on who has the ball and the people chasing him. </p>
<p>The object of the game is to score by advancing the ball into the end zone. Teams have four tries (“downs”) to advance the ball ten yards from its’ initial position. Each time a team advances the ball 10 yds, they get a fresh set of downs. A team can advance the ball by running with it, or by throwing (passing) it. If they do not advance the ball 10 yds in a set of downs, the other team gets the ball.</p>
<p>That’s the basics. There’s all sorts of limitations about who can run with the ball or catch it, where it can be thrown, etc. If you watch with DH, ask him to explain things while you watch.</p>
<p>I am a sports fanatic, moreso than my dh. In fact, last night I was online looking up the sked for my HS team.</p>
<p>What makes it so appealing? I guess I’m just a competitive person and so love the competitive aspect. I like how a family/city/school/state rallies behind its team, the bonding experience of something bigger than myself. I like the pageantry – in HS, the band and cheers; in pro sports, the face-painting. :)</p>
<p>There are football for dummies books. I saw something like “A Girl’s Guide to Baseball.” Maybe there’s something like that for football. Locally, Mack Brown, the UTexas football coach, has a preseason woman’s clinic to get the ladies up to speed. :rolleyes: </p>
<p>mrsref gives a nice, basic summation of the game, but my advice is to not ask a lot of questions during the game, wait for a commercial or timeout. I still don’t know every in and out, like who’s the nickel back, but it doesn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the game. </p>
<p>My mom, bless her heart, couldn’t figure out the game to save her life, so one Sunday when I was 19 or so, we watched two games back to back and I walked her through every aspect of the game (“No, mom, when they’re on the 45 and gain 10 yards, they’re not on the 55.”). She hung in there and really got it and now is a great spectator and can converse about various aspects of the game.</p>
<p>I’m sure your dh would love that you put so much effort into learning the game.</p>
<p>And knowing the game can be a nice “skill” to have. You might find you enjoy watching, so you no longer dread the football season and look forward to spending some time on the couch with DH. It can be nice, on a cold, rainy Sunday (plenty of those in the PNW), to start of big pot of soup simmering, light the fireplace, and spend the afternoon watching football.</p>
<p>At least that’s one good thing I’ve passed on to my D’s – they’re knowledgable fans of baseball, football, basketball (and to a lesser extent ice hockey). D2 made big points with her boyfriend and his dad last year when she went to his house one Sunday afternoon and joined in the football watching, offering comments on / debating the play-calling strategy of the offensive coordinator.</p>
<p>Try having a fantasy football team…H could help you draft. You’d be amazed how quickly you learn when you want to make sure your team wins.
I’ve always been a big fan. We had 9 teams in our house last year.</p>
<p>I grew up in a Miami Dolphin football fan family and some of my best memories center around football games, but my mother was not really into it at first. She took on a “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em” attitude and decided to learn everything she could about the team, starting with the roster. To this day she knows more statistics about the ‘72 Dolphins’ perfect season than anyone else I know. </p>
<p>I think I may get a fantasy football team together this year. Any tips on good Fantasy Football websites?</p>
<p>ESPN is the one we have the most fun with…great phone apps. Good free leagues. I had three teams last year and rocked the house!
I have certain players that I do not allow their names to be spoken aloud in my home. H and kids think it’s hysterical. Big screen does help. It’s much more effective to stand up next to the wall and scream at the ref pointing to the end zone where both feet were clearly in bounds!
TiVo was created just for this…not joking.</p>
<p>I feel for you EK. The only thing that made me actually pay attention to the game and figure out what is going on is that my D is on drill team, so we’re at the games. (I’m sorry your son’s team didn’t have football. As others have said, Fridya night games can be great community events with the band and the cheerleaders and the drill team and all their families.) Younger D is a cheerleader, so I figure that by the time she’s out of HS, I’ll have the game down. (But I still think it’s boring on TV.)</p>
<p>ek4, In all seriousness, if you are interested, as much as I love fantasy football, you may be better off learning the game watching college ball. It’s much better, the fans are great. People still cheer for their alma matter even if their team stinks. The players don’t have quite the attitudes that they do in the pros. It’s a much purer form of the game IMHO.</p>
<p>Missypie,
The problem with HS ball is that if you don’t know what it’s supposed to look like, it’s often hard to keep track of in 40degrees on a bleacher in the dark. I present TiVo.</p>
<p>That’s why you’ve got to watch HS football in Texas! Virtually never 40 degrees (sometimes 105, but rarely 40). Plus, we aren’t the only school to have an electronic score board with video replays, etc. (Several of the smaller colleges we visted with D had stadiums that were pathetic next to our HS stadium.)</p>
<p>Confession: Other than the quarterback and the kicker, I don’t really know the names of the various positions. (Okay, I know the names, but not which one is which.) I try to avoid conversations about so and so’s kid being recruited because the subject of their position always comes up and I have to say something ridiculous like “He’s a really big guy who tackles the other guys.”</p>
<p>^ LOVE this! :)<br>
Although, I’m frowned upon highly at S2s EC. We get no funds because it all goes to football.</p>
<p>OK, I am soo laughing at your confession because I know so many mom’s like this!. It doesn’t matter one bit. You care enough to be there for your kids, to know what’s going on with other students. That’s all that counts.
Really, I’m the total oddball. There are plenty that don’t go to the games. No big deal (but I’m not in Texas).</p>
)with football and it drives a wedge in our relationship throughout the fall and winter.</p>