It’s that time of the year; the air is getting crisp, the leaves are turning colors, the kids are back to school, and then there’s that sound…. The sound of the drum cadence. We wives of college football fans know this sound all too well. For us, it means the season of scarves, sweaters and boots. But for our men, it means the season of fist pumping, T.V. yelling and touchdown dances.
For touchdowns that they didn’t score themselves…
If you’re shaking your head in agreement with me, then you too are a member of the club. Being a wife of a college football fan is no small task. There is a lot we put up with. We allow our men to partake in ridiculous rituals, we cook them their lucky game day meals, we watch them make their own play calls, we tailgate in the rain and snow, and we listen to them talk to the players and coaches through the screen. All on a first name basis, of course.
Even back to our engagement days before we were “officially” part of the club, we already had our duties. Most options of having a cool fall wedding day were out of the question, as game day was sacred. And if a wedding we were attending was close to or after kick off, you had better believe that ESPN’s play by play was being peeked at in his coat pocket. Yes, nothing could get in the way of them missing a single play.
And yet… there we are right along with our men; supporting, cheering, high fiving…. and being fans together. Yes, being the wife of a college football fan is what I may have started out as. But over the years I’ve turned into a fan with my husband. No longer do I question the reasons behind his ridiculous game day antics, I participate in them. And gone are the days when I roll my eyes when he asks me to make him his favorite game day meal, I’ve learned to do it with joy. And these days, I’m pretty sure that my play calls are better than his. And we talk about the players together like we’ve known them for years. I even know their stats.
You see, something that seemed silly for so long has become something so special between my husband and I. Not only has game day become the most fun day of the week, but it’s a chance for my husband and I to play together; to be teammates. It has become a way to get inside his world and experience something he truly loves. And by becoming a college football fan, it’s made me become even more of a fan of the thing that matters most; and that’s the biggest fan of my husband’s heart.