My "Football Love” Journey

Note - this is a guest post from my wife, Amanda

There was something in the air today...a fresh breeze that instantly made me think of football season.  This is strange, I know, considering it is still July and in southern Ohio that usually means 90 degree weather and no fresh breeze to be felt.  I was yearning for a college football game to be on the TV when I got home and it made me ponder how far I have come in my ‘football love’ journey.

I’ve always been an Ohio State football fan - not just in a girly, like to wear cute red shorts kind of way. I know the good players’ names and was in attendance at the Superdome when we suffered the heartbreaking loss to LSU in the National championship game of the 2007 season.  But that was pretty much it - I would really only watch Ohio State football games.  If my Dad or boyfriend (now husband!) had another game on, I would keep my eye on it, but

Michael and I at the "Game of the Century"
#1 OSU vs. #2 MU, 2006

not care too much about the outcome.  Sundays were always a different story.  I remember complaining that pro football was full of overpaid sissies who didn’t really try (I still say the same thing about the NBA, by the way). Even though most members of my family are Bengals fans, I could not stand to watch the game.  The NCAA was full of hopeful and dedicated scholar athletes, while the NFL was full of pansies.

Flash forward to two years ago when fantasy football entered my life.  I am extremely competitive by nature and to be married to someone even more competitive than myself set the stage for some pretty interesting Sundays. I went from not watching a single game on Sunday to knowing exactly which games were on CBS (1 pm AND 4 pm, thankyouverymuch), FOX, NBC Sunday Night Football, or EPSN’s Monday Night Football.  I now am pushing my husband for us to get NFL Sunday Ticket - ME!  Who would have thought it?  I now enjoy the intricacies of the game, but am by no means an expert on individual players or stats. I just truly enjoy watching the game.

This gave me an even greater appreciation for college football on Saturdays. I went from not knowing the conferences to being able to rattle off each conference and their teams (for the most part....).  I love the inter- and intra-conference rivalries, especially The Big Ten versus the SEC.  Perhaps the biggest  indicator of my growth is my support for the Buckeyes’ new coach, Urban Meyer. I distinctly remember sitting in my dorm room at Ohio State cursing Urban Meyer through the roof as his Gators beat us in the 2006 National Championship game.  Now I see him as an Ohio-born and raised guy truly dedicated to the betterment of the program.

As you can tell, I am not your average statistic-rattling football fan.  I am admittedly more emotional about my reasons for watching the game, and am glad that I have evolved over the years to enjoy each Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Thursday (now that we have the NFL Network).  Hopefully I’ll be back posting about my favorite sport soon!