Sports and Your Relationship -- A Real Harvard Guy's Guide

My girlfriend is spending the summer in a different hemisphere, so when we talk it’s generally on GChat or Skype (per the helpful article written by Lisa Ackerman). Last weekend, we happened to be watching the same World Cup game, when she remarked: “I really like the color of that ref’s jersey.” This caught me off guard. As most men would attest, the color of the referee’s shirt rarely comes up in conversation. This is the type of athletic disconnect in a relationship that can lead to an argument about sports. I suggest finding commonality in sports, rather than arguing about them. Here’s how to make sure you and your boyfriend have a good time during the big game:

Go to the game, and make it a date. If you like sports even a little, I promise your boyfriend will be excited. Sometimes, tickets to sporting events are expensive (like the NBA Finals) or those events are in South Africa (like the World Cup). But other times, going to a game is a great way to spend time with your guy. Enjoying a ball game with a Budweiser and hot dog is a great way to spend an afternoon with your man.

Give him some space. Particularly if you don’t like sports, let your man do something he wants to do with his bros. This might seem counterintuitive, but I promise it works. When my girlfriend lets me off the hook so that I can watch a big game, it makes me so much more likely to remember an anniversary. Plus, it means that I’m not grumbling about missing the game while I’m at her event, and she’s not mad at me.

Try to watch a game with him and his friends. This can be amazing or it can crash and burn. In any case, I think it’s worth the risk. Your boyfriend gets the best of both worlds: time with you and time with his bros, endearing you to him forever. You get to be the cool girlfriend and meet the (other) people he cares about. Now here’s how to make it work:
- Don’t go in blind. Pick a sport that you know something about and read a preview of the game on ESPN. IF you’re asking him questions the entire time, neither of you are going to have a good time.
- Relax. Don’t think about what else is going on in your life. Try to get in the flow of the game, and make an effort to stay involved.
- Finally, bring food. Food is clutch. There’s really no way to go wrong here, just don’t bring Kashi. And you have no idea how amazing you’ll look.