It seems to me that many women judge men for a sports addiction and men just don’t understand why anything is appealing about celebrity gossip or reality t.v. So, how do we manage this seemingly inhospitable terrain for the Mars and Venus crowd?
- Recognize that both affinities require time spent keeping up with the story line of the players. For sports fans – watching most if not all of the games and making sure to keep up with news in between the games. For celeb and reality t.v. followers — the same thing. Try not to ridicule the other for their obsession of the moment… if you see a juicy piece of combo news (like the Jessica Simpson/Dallas QB Romo affair/break-up/daddy involvement) make sure to immediately share it with your beloved as a way to bond in mutual bliss.
- Support your loved one in face painting to support their heros. If she comes home one day sporting the Tara Reid raccoon eye look… tell her that it looks just as sexy as your purple and yellow face paint on Sundays every fall. And ladies… so what if he shaves his chest in order to create a smoother canvas for his team’s war paint? At least he can understand what a pain it is to keep up with shaving large swathes of skin-scape.
- If she likes to flash a crowd in imitation of her celebrity heros Paris or Britney and you live in jersey shirts year round… well, at least you are both getting a little extra ventilation. Enjoy your breezy bonding rituals and stay away from anyone with a camera.
- ANY sincere fan can, at times, display what will seem like an inordinate amount emotional attachment or even angst in the face of serious sports or celebrity news. If your man starts screaming at a blind referee or your woman can’t stop crying over the Brangelina break up… please don’t take this opportunity to cut their legs out from under them. Either quietly retreat to the other room or offer oven fresh cookies and milk — whatever passes as the ultimate supportive gesture for your distraught partner. After all — this too shall pass and next week is sure to bring a new and interesting obsession for your ultimate fan.
- Finally, invest in Tivo or DVR if you don’t have dual T.V.s and try to remember not to “accidentally” erase the other person’s recordings after you slip up and watch their show instead of yours.
If all of this support and mutual consideration just won’t work with your hard-wired sarcasm meter… there is no hope and you might as well break up now. Unless you both have an intervention and are both willing to replace your addictions with a mutual love for something like Guitar Hero… it’s time to let go and find someone who can roll with your face painting rituals.
All in all it comes down to just one thing. Finding a way to love and respect each other in spite of or perhaps even because of idiosyncrasies that you may or may not understand.
