If Forced to Choose: Football — or Your Wife or Girlfriend?

Most men who are NFL fans are familiar with this scenario.* You become involved with a woman who’s relieved to finally meet a bright and sensitive guy (assuming you are one). Then she finds out the awful truth: you’re an NFL fan.

But how could he? she wonders. He not only loves the arts, he’s socially conscious. When she tries to reconcile his opposition to our recent wars with the fervor with which he watches this violent sport, her cognitive dissonance gets the better of her.  (The sexes, of course, could be reversed, or the same.)

She resolves to accept the situation, but discovers that she can’t handle the life of a football widow. It’s not long before she’s pressuring you to go out during game-time.

First question: How many games a year, if any, do you give up for her? Incidentally, the answer “Every situation is different” doesn’t count.

Second question: If she decides “I didn’t sign on for this” and insists that you give up all or more of football than you’re willing (I know: this may be a function of a relationship already in trouble), which would you choose: football — or your wife or girlfriend?

*Since I don’t follow college football, I can’t speak to the stresses that watching it places on a relationship.

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13 Comments

  1. Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:05 pm | Permalink

    No question, girlfriend wins out. I almost always enjoy time with her more than football, although I am a football fan. The only games I have to watch are the Superbowl, certain college blow games, FSU regular season games and key NFL playoff games if my team is involved. She wouldn’t ask me to miss those and I wouldn’t put any game ahead of her.

    • Adam Lambert
      Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:08 pm | Permalink

      funny typo “College blow games”…

  2. Adam Lambert
    Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:08 pm | Permalink

    Gotta say wifey wins. And I LOVE the NFL – and the 3-4 fantasy leagues I am in, but if I can live without it for the 7-8 months during the year that the NFL isn’t on, then I guess I could go for the rest.

    Not being a college football fan, I’ve got a bit less “at stake” too….

    • Adam Lambert
      Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:10 pm | Permalink

      oh, and as to the first question, I’d give up any game on a given week but preferably not playoffs.

      Just not every game every week……

  3. Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:12 pm | Permalink

    Easy. Wife wins out. Luckily, I don’t have to really make that choice, as my wife is almost as big a Sooners fan as I am.

  4. Adam Bink
    Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:37 pm | Permalink

    Ahem. Boyfriend.

  5. Patrick T. Metz
    Posted September 13, 2010 at 2:48 pm | Permalink

    I’m with Adam.

  6. Russ Wellen
    Posted September 13, 2010 at 4:07 pm | Permalink

    Adam B., I meant, obviously unsuccessfully, for this to cover gays:

    (The sexes, of course, could be reversed, or the same.)

  7. Raf Noboa y Rivera
    Posted September 13, 2010 at 4:15 pm | Permalink

    No question: girlfriend. Not even a scintilla of a doubt.

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