If you're afraid that this post is going to a mighty rant and rave about how my husband turns into a beer guzzling, wife ignoring, testosterone madman every Sunday now that football season has started, then rest assured. It's nothing of the sort. Why? Because I am not a hypocrite, that's why. Because every Sunday, I am right beside with my darling husband acting like a complete lunatic myself. I too am glued to the couch (which used to be the bar stool pre baby), yelling at the TV, ignoring the phone, kid, chores for those glorious three hours while my team plays the greatest spectator sport in the world.

I can still clearly remember the time my husband asked me out on our first date. We met on a Thursday and he called the very next night(!) to ask if he could take me out that following Sunday (he had his kids that weekend, so Sunday was his first available free day). I was so torn, I didn’t know what to do. I mean, he seemed like a nice guy and I really liked him, but Sunday? Sunday? You gotta be kidding me? SUNDAY! Ouch, that hurt. What kind of guy was this who would rather go out on a date than watch the game? It made me suspicious. I almost, almost dropped his ass right there and then. But, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Since I had permanent plans on Sundays, I just invited him along with me and my friends. When I heard the huge sigh of relief in his voice, I knew all was good. We were engaged six months later.

In all honesty, I think our passion for football is one of the things which keeps our marriage strong. I know it sounds so, so…how should I put this…so, shallow. But, if you think about it, our weekends are the precious times we have together, especially since we both work full time. If I didn’t like football, one of those days we’d be spending apart from each other, doing our own thing. Instead, we have a family Sunday routine where we put on our fan gear, get out the snacks and drinks, park our butts on the couch and let loose for several hours. Then we discuss all the great plays and stupid mistakes ad nauseam afterwards. When we win, we celebrate together. When we lose, we mope together.

I hear a lot of women and wives say that they simply don’t “get” football. They don’t understand the game itself, they don’t understand the intense need to watch it, and they certainly don’t understand the emotional turmoil that comes with it. I tell them they need to give it another chance. I’m not a big sports nut, especially when it comes to watching them on TV. Most sports are just boring, boring, boring. Football is different. The game itself is dynamic and complex. To watch it, is like watching a chess game unfold and you, as the spectator, get involved with every strategic move. And the drama! Oh, the drama. Few sports have such drama like football where things can change at any time. There's interceptions, fumbles, missed kicks, safety points, off side kicks, fake outs, penalties – something dramatic can happen at any given moment and the tension doesn’t go away until the clock runs out. Emotions run high, it's inevitable. The season is so short (if you're a fan, that is) that each game and each play means so much. Football is the one sport I totally get, big time. And, because of that, I also get quality time with my husband every Sunday. Rest assured, there are no football widows in this house.