Participating at Football Games
Go to his games. Get a copy of his game schedule and put them all into your personal calendar. Plan to attend all of the games you can, but don't sweat it if you miss a few. Choose the games that are far away to skip. Conference games and playoff games are especially important. Let him know ahead of time if you will be at his game or if you can’t make it. It will be terrible for him if he thinks you are coming and then you don’t. Show up early and wish him luck, but don’t talk to him for too long. He’ll appreciate the support, but he also needs to get focused for the game.
Watch the game while you are there. Showing up is important, but you must be present too. Even if you start to get bored, do your best to watch the whole game. If he looks up and sees you staring at your phone or talking the whole time, he won’t feel supported. Sit with his family, if you know them, so you won’t get distracted and stop paying attention. Keeping your phone put away also helps keep you focused. If you have a hard time staying interested, listen to the announcer while you watch. They describe the main points of action, which helps you know what is important. Another way to stay interested is to pay attention to specific things, like how long the quarterback holds the ball, who makes the most tackles, or how long each play lasts.
Cheer him on at the games. Start by wearing a jersey with his number on it. If you can’t get a spare jersey, paint his number on a shirt that’s the team colors. Make a big sign with his name on it and hold it up when he is on the field. Cheer his name and number at the games. Ask the equipment managers if you can borrow an old jersey with his number on it. Most schools have old jerseys that players don’t wear anymore, so you should be able to get one. It’s usually best to avoid yelling things like “Way to go, honey,” as this might embarrass him. Yell things like, "Knock 'em down, 88!" or "Let's go, Hector!"
Supporting Your Boyfriend as a Football Player
Learn his practice schedule and accept it. Plan things around his busy schedule, rather than being upset that he’s busy. He is going to be practicing for a few hours every day, so make sure you don't plan anything important during those times. Use his practice time to get things done for yourself. If you feel that you're not getting enough time with your boyfriend, ask him if you can watch his practice sessions. You won’t be able to talk to him, but you’ll see him at least. It will also help you learn the game better. Also keep in mind that high school and college football seasons are only about four months long, so you’ll see him more after that. Pro teams play for a few months longer.
Get to know the other players on his team. Learn the names and positions of the starters, or the guys he plays with most, such as offense or defense. Take the chance to meet the other players if you are able to. These are his friends, so it’s important for you to know them. Meet and get to know his coaches, too. They have a lot of influence on him and he may stay connected to them after he is done playing. Players often hang out together before and after games, or at other times. Ask your player if you can join them. Listen to the players talk about the sport and show you support it. Congratulate your player and their teammates on wins and encourage them for the future. Show the team that you support them playing.
Respect his passion for the sport even if you don’t understand it. Football is important to your boyfriend, so you need to respect it. Make sure you don’t call it dumb or make him feel bad for playing the game. It’s important to him and he is important to you, so show him respect no matter what. Athletes take pride in their sport, so they don't like to hear it disrespected. If you talk badly about football, it will make him mad and push him away.
Learning About Football
Grasp the difference between offense and defense. Offense is the team who has the ball and is currently trying to score. Defense is the team that is trying to stop the offense from scoring. Ask your boyfriend which side of the ball he usually plays on so you can watch for him when he’s on the field. Both teams have linemen who block or try to stop the ball from moving forward. The offense has a quarterback who handles the ball the most and running backs and receivers who try to move the ball forward. The defense has linebackers who watch where the ball is moving and try to stop the player with the ball.
Pay attention to the scoring system. The overall goal of football is to get the most points. This is done by crossing the goal line or kicking a field goal. Take note that a touchdown is worth six points and is the main objective. A field goal is like a backup score and is worth three points. After a touchdown is scored, the offense can kick the ball through the goalposts for one point. Their other option is to run or pass to cross the goal line again for two points. The defense can only score if they push the offense all the way back to their own goal line. This is called a safety, and it earns the defense two points.
Master the concept of the four downs. When you understand what it takes to score, learn about how the offense moves down the field. Notice that the offense gets four downs to score or cover at least ten yards. Remember the importance of gaining a first down and what it means when the offense is on their fourth down. The offense must move the ball at least ten yards to gain a first down. The poles you see the referees holding mark off ten yards, so the pole ahead of the team is the one they have to pass. When a team is on their fourth down, it means they have to either get past the first down marker or they will turn the ball over to the other team. If the offense doesn’t think they can get past the marker on their fourth down, they kick the ball down the field so the other team starts farther from the goal line.
Read up on some of the most common penalties. Start by noticing that a penalty is when one team breaks the rules. Watch for the referee to throw a yellow flag. Check out a list of the most common penalties and what they mean so you’ll know when the referee calls them. If the offense commits a penalty, they have to move their starting line back. If the defense commits a penalty, the offense gets to move the starting line forward. If you want to get really into the game, there are dozens of penalties to learn about. To keep it simple, just remember what a penalty is and that one team gains or loses yards.
Managing Your Schedules
Be flexible when you have conflicting schedules. You won’t always have the same schedule as your football player, so you have to work on being okay with this. Call or text on days when you can’t see each other. Always communicate and try not to fight too much about schedule conflicts. Try to decide on one or two specific times during the week when you are both free that you can spend quality time together. Protect those times, and don’t let anything else get in the way. If you have something that takes up a lot of your time, look for gaps in your schedules when you are both free. If you don’t have much going on, work around your player’s schedule as much as you can.
Make the most of the time you spend together. Let your player know that alone time with them is important. Tell them you are glad they play football, but you also want time with them that’s not about football. Do things together that you both enjoy. Talk about the sport some, but have some times that you don’t talk about it. Don’t spend the time telling them how you miss them and wish they were less busy with the sport. Be happy that you have time to spend together.
Find positive ways to spend your time when you aren’t together. Sometimes you won’t see each other often. Take time to do something that builds you up emotionally that you don’t always have time for. Fill your time with good things rather than simply being sad that you aren’t together. Times that you can’t spend with your player are especially great for doing something you wouldn’t do with them. If they aren’t into music, practice your guitar. If they’re always too tired to hike, go to a state park. This is all about finding fulfillment for yourself outside of your relationship. It’s great that you have them, and you should be happy for it, but it’s important to be happy by yourself, as well.
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