Football 101 – A Girl’s Guide To Football – Why The Game Matters
By: Jessica Hardwick

  Can I tell you how tired I am of single women complaining about how hard it is to meet a decent man? The problem is not a dearth of quality men, in fact I know quite a few single gems, but rather where the ladies are looking. You aren’t going to find the right man in a sleazy bar or pickup joint. If you want a man who values integrity, honor, and good sportsmanship than you have go where the real men are, and in the fall, that means your local sports bar.

Football is the all-American game, if you can’t get into the game, you are shunning some of the best guys in town. Here you will find men that truly believe in honor both on and off the field. Football players aren’t stereotypical big dumb jocks, they have had to work incredibly hard to get where they are, and there are no NFL players that haven’t made a true commitment to the game. The fans are equally committed to the game and their teams, so much for the common complaint that it’s impossible to find a man who can make a commitment!

Personally I’m hooked on the game itself, I love the strategy, the element of surprise, the emotion, and I’m not terribly opposed to cute butts in tight football pants either. You may or may not develop your own passion for the game, but you need to garner a basic understanding of how it works if you don’t want to come off like a fool. Guys can spot a fake miles away so it’s better to admit to your ignorance and ask questions, than to try to pretend you know the game. Of course this only works for so long and you need to bone up on football if you want to hang with the boys. Start with the basics, you need to know what teams are playing and it really helps to have a favorite. I’m a tried and true Raider fan myself, but they aren’t for the weak-hearted being the only team in the NFL that has to play against both the opposing team and the selectively blind referees.

If you don’t have a favorite team lined up you could simply go with your hometown team, be it the town you live in now or the one you came from. If that doesn’t work for you, than you probably come from Cincinnati or Cleveland, and should pick a random team. I know women who made their selection based on which jersey color looked best on them, which logo they liked best, or which team their despised ex-boyfriend hated the most. However, you make your selection choose your team and stay with them through the good times and the bad.

Start reading the sports page. You need to understand what is going on in the football world. At first very little might make sense but keep reading, you’ll be surprised at how much you can actually learn. For a high level overview listen to the sports segment on your local network news. ESPN has a great web site where you can always find the latest stats on all the teams. At the very least try to know the latest disputed calls, injuries and controversies.

Get a good pal to tutor you in the basics of the game. I recommend you choose a male friend, not boyfriend, who is a patient soul. You are also best learning from a taped game, so that he already knows the outcome and won’t mind stopping the tape to explain what just happened. I was totally anti-football until a good friend sat me down with a taped game and a few brews. Thanks to his patience and understanding of the game I’m now a regular Sunday inhabitant of the sports bar. Don’t forget to check among your gal pals, you may have a hidden football fan in your midst. The bonus is not just a great lesson, but also a buddy to join you in your foray into NFL Sundays at the sports bar and football fandom!

I will also be following up with a series on the basics of my favorite game.

About the Author: When not watching football, Jessica Hardwick is building a startup, http://www.SwapThing.com that changes the way people exchange goods and services through the Internet.