Get ready ladies! We are now in the midst of one of the busiest times for sports. With March Madness, MLS, MLB, and NFL off-season going on right now, it’s a sports fanatic paradise. A sports fanatic is “a person who loves sports as an entertainment outlet and is highly interested in one or more sport or sports team,” according to Urban Dictionary.
Everybody can identify with that one sports fanatic in their life and mine is my boyfriend. If your boyfriend is anything like my boyfriend, you would know what it’s like to date a sports fanatic. Nobody gives you a guide on dating a sports fanatic, so you go in blindly. After dating one for eight months, this is all that I have learned from experience so far.
1. Be Understanding
Yes, I understand that you want to call your boyfriend and give him the rundown of how your day went, or you want to hang out with him because you had a stressful day and want somebody to cuddle and watch Netflix with. But when the NCAA March Madness tournament is on, he is focusing on the games and making sure his bracket hasn’t been busted yet. This is his Bachelor/Bachelorette as he is trying to see who will get the last rose, which is a trophy. So understand that watching sports is what he loves to do, and it’s hard to have a conversation with him when he’s distracted by the game. It can be frustrating sometimes that he can remember certain stats of players and games and not your anniversary date. But that’s just him. Beforehand, talk to him and let him know that you understand if he’s busy, and that it’s okay for him to hit you up later. He would really appreciate that.
2. Learn the sports for yourself
I have grown up in a sports-cultivated household due to my father having our TV turned to ESPN were I have gotten used to hearing everything about sports. I was able to develop a love for football because in high school I was in color guard so my Friday nights were spent watching high school football. So I was able to have some basics of sports when I first started to date my boyfriend. But if you do not know the difference between what a touchdown and a homerun is, you are in for a rude awakening. The easiest way to gain brownie points with your man is by talking about his favorite sports team and players with him. Do your research on the basics of each sport that he watches, turn on the TV and watch a couple games for yourself to apply what you have learn. Afterwards, talk to him, asking what game(s) he watched today and compare it to the game(s) you saw or ask him what do he think about a certain NFL draft candidate. If you still don’t understand some concepts, ask him and he will see that you are trying to learn and will be willing to help you.
3. Let him have this time to himself
My boyfriend has been very supportive with helping me with my first year in college, so I can at least let him have his time by watching his games. While he’s busy watching games, you can have time to do whatever you want. Don’t just sit around and wait for him to be done. Get ahead in your homework so you can spend that time when he does watching the game talking or spending time with him. Hang out with your friends and host a much needed hang out session. Do a face mask on yourself. Read that novel that you’ve been dying to read for the longest time or catch up on your favorite show. Him having “me time” doesn’t mean you can’t have some “you time.”
4. Be there for him during good and bad times
The thing about sports fans is their team affects their moods. When the team wins, especially if it’s a big game, your man feels like he is on top of the world. When his team loses, he just may be ready to flip the world his middle finger. Be there for him during both the celebrations and the pity parties. When his team loses, go ahead and agree with what he’s saying and let him know that they’re going to get them next time. Good thing these moods only last for only so long!
5. Can’t beat them, join them
In the end, your boyfriend really wants to spend time with you and his favorite teams. So suggest date night where he can watch his game and spend time with you all at the same time or if you are balling like that get your boyfriend tickets to his favorite local sporting event. This can be great for the relationship, as it shows your man that you have taken an interest in something he’s very passionate about. Having an interest in sports can be good in return, as he will think twice the next time you ask him to see a chick-flick with you or want to make a pit stop in Sephora to see the latest makeup. And before you know it, you’ll be invested in the game too, and, if you’re lucky, get spotted on the kiss cam.
*Shout-out to my wonderful boyfriend Marcus for taking the time out to help me with this article