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How to get your girlfriend to watch sports

Senior Editors

Published: Sunday, April 4, 2010

Updated: Sunday, April 4, 2010 21:04


I know I'm not the only guy out there right now that is completely wrapped up March Madness. Coupling that with the excitement of Opening Day and the buzz surrounding the NFL Draft, I'd say that this is one of the best times of the year in sports, hands down. I know you'd like to be glued to the TV and Internet to keep tabs on all of the developments, but there is one person that is noticing your interest shift from her to the most wonderful time of the year. That would be your girlfriend.

The beginning of spring is when your healthy interest in sports can become a full-fledged obsession. It's not like you have finals coming up or anything. What better way to have the best of both worlds than by having your girlfriend sitting there on the couch next to you, genuinely interested in the impending upset in the NCAA tournament, Ryan Braun's 3-for-4 afternoon with 5 RBIs or the Packers needing to address secondary issues in April's draft?

This type of interest doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort. But guys, it pays off. So, if you are looking for a way to get your girlfriend to watch sports with you, read on. Hopefully these tips will help.

1.     Turn it into a date and take her to a live sporting event. The excitement of seeing the game in person is way more likely to entice her than the idea of sitting on the couch staring at your TV. You can still watch the game, and she'll appreciate the experience of attending a game live. Plus the one-on-one time is way more appealing than sitting in the living room with your roommates screaming at the TV. If you want bonus points and can afford it, take her to a game in a different city so it's a chance for the two of you to get away. For example, take her to a Twins game and then you two can walk around Minneapolis later.

2.     Invite others to a live game and make it a party. You two can bond while tailgating and playing games in the parking lot

3.     Point out attractive athletes. Girls are never going to complain about watching toned guys working up a sweat. Think J.J. Hardy, David Beckham, Tom Brady and Andy Roddick.

4.     Make sure to explain things to her. Teach her about the game. Most girls like learning from their boyfriends, especially if you get excited and let her know you're proud of her when she remembers things. The first time she points out that the Bucks are running the 2-3 zone you taught her about, there won't be a prouder moment to a boyfriend.

5.     Fill her in on the behind-the-scenes drama. Explain feuds between players and the latest scandals. Most girls love celebrity gossip and this is pretty much the same thing.

6.     Buy her team apparel. Give her something new to wear so she can look cute and festive when watching the game with you. Those pink Brewers jerseys are just adorable.

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47 comments

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Anonymous
Fri Apr 23 2010 20:01
As a guy I recognize this article is BAD. "Teach her about the game... let her know you're proud of her when she remembers things." What, is she a dog!? Please stop publishing this offensive, sexist bullsh** in the paper.
Anonymous
Thu Apr 15 2010 00:41
I seem to remember a time when the Racquet had editorials about things that mattered- ie. US-Middle East relations. Oh wait- one of my friends used to write for the opinion section and wrote about significant topics such as this. However I hear that Mr. Nik Nelson did not like this kind of journalism, and preferred a more local focus. I assume this means trivial subjects such as this, or someone complaining about bikers on campus. Important message to editors: I WOULD RATHER READ ABOUT SIGNIFICANT WORLD EVENTS THAN 'LOCAL' TWADDLE SUCH AS THIS.

I for one am sick of seeing blatant spelling and grammatical errors in the Racquet. I am sick of the unacceptable partisan bias they display ("The Racquet endorses Schmidt and Dill") I am sick of seeing these kinds of sexist articles making their way through the editorial staff (when it was brought to their attention mind you!) I am sick of seeing a careless disregard for journalistic integrity at my university's newspaper.

Now, since there seems to be a misconception among the editorial staff let me make this clear; In no way do I think YOU to be sexist- you simply made a poor editorial decision to publish this article without further inquiry. Do not try to deflect your responsibility by claiming that the student body has some kind of misconception and believes you are all sexists. This is not the case- the case is that you messed up. Take responsibility for your decision and I for one will give you the respect that is deserved of somebody who is mature enough to come forth and do this. If you do not respond in a mature fashion such as this, I will have little respect for you. We will see how you handle this on Thursday.

I hope there are no silly spelling errors in that issue either.

Anonymous
Thu Apr 15 2010 00:27
There will always be people (men and women) that dont understand the larger consequences that come from spouting demeaning steryotypes against women. There are three things that need to happen in this situation: 1: Women (and men) who find the article offensive need to make their feelings known. Check. 2: the people in charge of reviewing these articles before they are distributed to the campus need to reevaluate their screening methods and somehow try to avoid this happening again. 3: It would be nice to have a formal apology to the women (and men) on this campus that were exposed to the article which was...in poor taste.
Anonymous
Thu Apr 15 2010 00:06
how to get your girlfriend to watch sports with you
-if you don't have a girlfriend disregard steps 1 & 2
1. ask her if she wants to watch sports with you
2. if her answer is no and this is such an important thing to you dump her
3. meet a girl
4. ask her if she likes to watch sports
5. if she says yes ask her to be your girlfriend, if she says no repeat steps 3-5

we shouldn't try to make the people we love into something that they are not. If you seriously can not handle dating someone that does not want to watch sports with you then dump her and find someone who will, she will be better off without you. I get that this article was written to be humorous, but it is offensive. If the article would have been written in a way that did not suggest that all men love sports and all women hate sports I don't think it would be such a problem. Simply "How to get your significant other to watch sports with you" would be a less stereotypical article.

Anonymous
Wed Apr 14 2010 23:07
I used to pick up a copy of the Racquet every week, however due to recent "articles" (for lack of a better term) I will no longer waste my time reading such a biased newspaper. The Racquet has been spewing out irrelevant crap and I'm not interested in their endorsements or opinions. The only thing worth looking at is the last page, seeing that the Soduku and crosswords will be the only educational thing about it.

They'll need to think quick and find a different way to stir up their much loved controversy.

Anonymous
Wed Apr 14 2010 12:43
Keep it civilized. This is a university, where we're supposed to be enlightened.
Anonymous
Wed Apr 14 2010 12:34
"Furthermore, though I am not sure of the exact percentages, but UW-L is about 60% female. However, the majority of student leadership on campus is male. Discrimination is alive and well on campus,"

This is the most ridiculous statement I've ever read.

Basement Dad
Wed Apr 14 2010 00:38
If all of you women would just stay in the kitchen you wouldn't be bombarded by articles such as this!
Anonymous
Wed Apr 14 2010 00:24
Needless to say- to a female athlete (or anyone with half a brain) this is utterly disgusting.. Writers and articles like this won't make the cut in the real world. Hope the pay from this little college job lasts throughout your future unemployment..
...Back to checking my espn highlights.
Anonymous
Wed Apr 14 2010 00:02
Okay, anyone who say that this is just girls taking it too far need to realize that this is what is at the root of sexism, it leads to much larger implications. Also, how would people respond if it was about an ethnic minority group? Your responses would be much different.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 21:20
I feel like the comments here are getting insulting and not focusing on what is important. Whether you believe that this article is sexist or not, or whether you believe people should be offended or not, the fact is: people are offended. Everyone - no. A significant number, obviously, or all of these comments would not be here. UW-L has a reputation of being a university that is attentive to students' need for safety, campus climate is a perfect example. An article that is this offensive simply should not be printed in a university "newspaper" funded through student fees. It is detrimental to the climate of this campus to know that the school's "newspaper" sees no wrongdoing in the publication of this article. I believe that a formal apology is not only appropriate, but necessary.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 18:38
Ooooh dear. I would not go so far as to fault the entire newspaper for one article written in poor taste, but this is certainly not one of their better pieces. As a woman I feel somewhat insulted by the over generalizations in the article (and hope that they were meant to be humorous), but more upset by the sexist comments of my peers. Men are not evil, and by being upset has nothing to do with my period.
To the Racquet, please edit more carefully.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 18:05
I could tell the article was intended to be ironic, but it definitely didn't read that way. It's piss-poor writing that is the culprit there. If it was intended to be humor, maybe they should have tried making it funny.

And I'll stop "freaking out" when women and men receive equal pay.

Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 17:42
I find it kind of interesting that the people freaking out the most about this article on Facebook also happen to be supporters of the Karly/Missy campaign who the Racquet wrote an article against. It seems weirdly coincidental that these people would be flipping out about a minor issue with the school paper and encouraging people to boycott the paper the same week that the paper came out supporting their opposing candidates. If their stealing papers off campus stunt didn't completely display their immaturity I would say that this incident of blowing things out proportion definitely does.
Anne Lawver
Tue Apr 13 2010 15:26
If you read this article trying to find degrading comments you will find them, but they were not meant overtly as so. I don't think either Chris or Mary meant for the article to be "sexist," but I also don't think that they meant it to be a solution for all couples out there. It is not however, that serious of an issue that it would ever be appropriate to insist on retracting funding from the Racquet, or suggest that Chris get his "head out of his ass." Before everyone degrades the writers of this article perhaps they should look at their own writing ability or the fact alone that this is not the New York Times. If you do not like the content of this student-run newspaper, then maybe you should take some initiative and do something more positive than hate-ranting on the Racquet website under the safety net of anonymous names.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 14:46
Stop being so petty. You people should be embarrassed that you have gotten so upset over something so small. Talk about mob-mentality.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 14:45
THIS is the most offensive thing you have ever read? How sheltered are you? This is a lighthearted article that gives suggestions on how to enjoy more quality time with a significant other. If you are a girl and enjoy sports already, good for you. Then I guess you don’t have to read this article. Where in this article did anyone suggest that women are in any way inferior to men? It never said that girls CAN’T understand sports. It just stated the fact that often girls do not understand the details of the games and learning these details makes it more entertaining. Who wants to watch something if they don’t know what’s going on?
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 14:16
This article is insulting. To those of you who find it harmless, chances are you do not understand your own privledge. This article was printed in the sports section, has this section always been full of such "humor?" The authors could have easily made changes to make the article more gender neutral, all good comedians do not focus on one stereotype. A comment degrading women is quickly followed by a comment degrading men, and usually the second comment is worse. This article did not follow the "harmless humor" model. Furthermore, though I am not sure of the exact percentages, but UW-L is about 60% female. However, the majority of student leadership on campus is male. Discrimination is alive and well on campus, this article reiterates that fact. What is worse is that the authors and editors who backed this article do not realize their discrimination and find it funny. I find it sad, and I am outraged.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 13:23
Seriously people...we do not need to get mad at two people because they wrote an article that we disagree with. Read any newspaper, I am sure that there will be an article you do not like. Berating the authors of this article is only an attempt for you to show your misplaced distain. I really hope that everyone can take it at face value and not let their pride get hurt. Personally I love sports, and really enjoy learning about them be it from a guy friend or a girl friend. We all have different topics we know about. When was the last time one of you tried something out of your comfort zone? Alot of people don't like watching sports because they don't know much about it, that is just because we all have different passions. Just try not to be so jaded please.
Anonymous
Tue Apr 13 2010 11:14
Okay - it was for fun. LIghten UP! and it is humorous - We are so much beyond actually thinking this could be taken seriously and if you took it seriously then you are obiously not secure with your self!!!
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