The Season Begins

The 2009 football season has officially begun.  Some would say it started with the training camps, others will protest that it is still pre-season.  In my house the season officially started last Friday, when my fan gave me notice that we would be in front of a television for the kick-off of the Hall of Fame game at 7pm Sunday night.  

This blog is devoted to those of you who may not be a fan of the sport itself, but are dating or care for a football fan.  If this is your first season with your fan, brace yourself, the individual you have known in the off-season is about to change.  If this is not your first season, hang on to your calendar, because here we go again!  I got the idea for this blog shortly after I fell in love with my fan three years ago.  To his credit, my fan was very clear from the beginning that he was a passionate Auburn University football fan.  I accepted this fact with the other details I was learning at the time, like his favorite color and that he doesn’t like sushi. I had no idea the impact football season would have on our day-to-day lives.

Our first season together marked some of the most educational and strained times of our relationship.  I did not get it; to me football was simply an excuse for social interaction. I was completely unprepared for the changes in my fan’s demeanor, schedule, social circle, everything.  I looked for resources; spoke to other significant others, trying to get a handle on this football thing.

What I found was rather disappointing. I was looking for something that would help me wrap my head around the sport and culture of football. Something that would give me tools to cope with the changes in my relationship and my fan.  What I ended up with was some great recipes for half-time snacks, lots of information on the rules of the game, but nothing that helped me take a positive approach to the football season. In this blog, I am going to attempt to provide you with the perspective and tools I was looking for that first season.