ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
Today is Kickoff Sunday, the beginning of the National Football League season. It is a day fraught with danger for many relationshps. The following is an excerpt from a column I wrote three years ago, but it is still very relevant:
I think it was Spanky and Our Gang who first sang "Sunday Will Never Be The Same." Well, it’s September now, and for millions of men and women, that truth will definitely be evident for the next several months.
But for many couples, young and old, who spent their summer Sundays playfully hanging out at Hampton Beach or hiking through the White Mountains while listening to "their" song playing on their respective iPod, fall Sundays may prove to be the "Armageddon" of their relationship.
That is, for many, many, many men, once the NFL season kicks off, it’s farewell to romantic rendezvous and hello to a 2-foot space embedded on their favorite couch or recliner.And in 2005 (now 2008), the "call to the couch" resonates louder than ever.
Forget the fact that the Pats have won three out of the last five Super Bowls. What further motivates males today are several other factors:
· The incredible rise in popularity of Fantasy Football leagues, where even the least knowledgeable fan can be a general manager of his own team.
· The ability to legally bet on the outcome of football games through offshore Internet gambling sites. No longer does the man of the house have to deal with illicit bookmakers.
· And last, but far from least, is the growing popularity of home theater systems and games broadcast in HDTV. By the way, ladies, when your boyfriend or hubby said he wanted to spring for a 60-inch plasma TV with surround sound, he was lying when he claimed he wanted it to watch movies or (snicker) nature shows. He wanted it to watch football!
And so, as the clock approaches 1:05 p.m. every Sunday, don’t expect your man to be available for the rest of the day. For after the 1 p.m. game comes the 4 p.m. game, then the 7 p.m. highlight shows, and then the 8:30 Sunday night game.
Before you ladies start writing angry responses saying you "love" to watch the Patriots too (after all Tom Brady does have a cute dimple, doesn’t he?), it’s just not the same. Yes, more women in New England have become sports fans, jumping on the Red Sox and Patriots championship "bandwagons."
But few women really and truly understand the pull that sports has for many men. And that pull is never stronger than on Sundays during the football season. The fact is (and I know this is a real generalization that does not hold for all couples) sports means to (many, but not all) men what relationships mean to women! Think about it.
Labels: fall, football. relationships
draft
9/6/08
by Steve Penner
Delete
1 – 1 of 1
I think it was Spanky and Our Gang who first sang "Sunday Will Never Be The Same." Well, it’s September now, and for millions of men and women, that truth will definitely be evident for the next several months.
But for many couples, young and old, who spent their summer Sundays playfully hanging out at Hampton Beach or hiking through the White Mountains while listening to "their" song playing on their respective iPod, fall Sundays may prove to be the "Armageddon" of their relationship.
That is, for many, many, many men, once the NFL season kicks off, it’s farewell to romantic rendezvous and hello to a 2-foot space embedded on their favorite couch or recliner.And in 2005 (now 2008), the "call to the couch" resonates louder than ever.
Forget the fact that the Pats have won three out of the last five Super Bowls. What further motivates males today are several other factors:
· The incredible rise in popularity of Fantasy Football leagues, where even the least knowledgeable fan can be a general manager of his own team.
· The ability to legally bet on the outcome of football games through offshore Internet gambling sites. No longer does the man of the house have to deal with illicit bookmakers.
· And last, but far from least, is the growing popularity of home theater systems and games broadcast in HDTV. By the way, ladies, when your boyfriend or hubby said he wanted to spring for a 60-inch plasma TV with surround sound, he was lying when he claimed he wanted it to watch movies or (snicker) nature shows. He wanted it to watch football!
And so, as the clock approaches 1:05 p.m. every Sunday, don’t expect your man to be available for the rest of the day. For after the 1 p.m. game comes the 4 p.m. game, then the 7 p.m. highlight shows, and then the 8:30 Sunday night game.
Before you ladies start writing angry responses saying you "love" to watch the Patriots too (after all Tom Brady does have a cute dimple, doesn’t he?), it’s just not the same. Yes, more women in New England have become sports fans, jumping on the Red Sox and Patriots championship "bandwagons."
But few women really and truly understand the pull that sports has for many men. And that pull is never stronger than on Sundays during the football season. The fact is (and I know this is a real generalization that does not hold for all couples) sports means to (many, but not all) men what relationships mean to women! Think about it.
Labels: fall, football. relationships
draft
9/6/08
by Steve Penner
Delete
1 – 1 of 1
posted by Steve Penner at
5:17 AM
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