Reasons to Marry a Football Fanatic

Sometimes I think that people pity me for having such a fanatical football fan for a husband. And I guess they may have a point. I mean, working our weekend activities around the Colts’ game schedule, listening to lectures about how Dallas Clark is more like a wide receiver than a tight end at the dinner table, washing midnight loads of laundry to be sure that his lucky jersey, socks, jeans, and boxers are clean in time for the game, and having to shoot down the idea of redecorating the kitchen into a Colts theme so that we can buy the toaster that burns the horse shoe logo into your toast can get old. But being married to a die-hard Colts fan isn’t all bad.

For one thing, watching football with James has forced me to step out of my comfort zone. Ten years ago I didn’t know the first thing about football. I’m far from proficient now but I can hold an intelligent conversation with almost anyone about game rules, team standings, popular players, etc. This is a skill that I’m proud to have and it’s come in handy on more than one occasion. After all, they say that football is the “new American pastime.” Football can be the beginning of some beautiful friendships.

Also, I appreciate football for giving me an opportunity for family dress-alike time. On any other day and for any other reason James hates it when I try to dress the kids in matching outfits. We will never be that family you see at the amusement park wearing matching bright yellow t-shirts that have “Smith Family Vacation 2010” screen printed on the back. My husband would never allow it. Just to dress the boys in coordinating “big brother” & “little brother” shirts I have to be willing to withstand at least a dozen rolls of his eyes.  But when it comes to wearing matching blue & white Colts apparel, he’s fine with that. No, he encourages it! So when we gear up, we go all out. We’ve got shirts, jerseys, socks, underwear, hats, jackets, bows, watches, jewelry…..heck, if they made Colts diapers, Johnny would be wearing them right now! (Actually, he would be wearing Patriots diapers because James would love to teach him to poo on them.)

Of course, there is no overlooking the food.  Cooking for a football fanatic is a good excuse to eat badly. We love our hamburgers, French fries, chili dogs, nachos, pizza, popcorn, and IBC root beer.  In fact, Josie has come to term all sodas as “football drinks,” because they’re what we drink on football days.

Another great advantage to having a husband who’s passionate about football is the one-stop shopping. I don’t even have to think about James’ birthday present because it’s the same thing each year: NFL Sunday Ticket so that he can watch every single Colts game from the comfort of our couch. For Christmas I simply have to browse the ProShop at colts.com for something he doesn’t have yet. To this day he will tell you that his favorite present ever was the autographed picture of Johnny Unitas (a famous Colts quarterback from the 1950s and 60s) that I got him one year.

But overall, the number one reason why I love being married to a football fanatic is because it keeps our family close. From September through January we are guaranteed to spend Sunday afternoons at home, in the living room, together. I guess you could call it “mandated leisure.” It’s a great reason to do nothing. We have fun teaching the kids to cheer, “Go Colts!” and to make the touchdown signal with their arms raised up high in the air. Sometimes we’ll toss a football around or tackle each other on the floor. But usually we just lounge around and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company while a football game roars in the background.

So don’t feel like you need to pity me for having such a fanatical football husband. It has its advantages. But if you are thinking of me, please, do pray for us when the Colts lose…..because a bad week for a football fan is a bad week for his wife.