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The best ways to show your partner that you care
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Dating a football player means you have to negotiate a relationship around all the practices, games, and schoolwork. It can be a big commitment for an athlete to be in a relationship, so keep in mind that your partner might be feeling conflicted about their commitment to you and to the game. Show them that you care about what they care about, and support them the whole way.
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Go to their games. Get a copy of their 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. [1] X Research source- Let them know ahead of time if you will be at their game or if you can’t make it. It will be terrible for them if they think you are coming and then you don’t.
- Show up early and wish them luck, but don’t talk to them for too long. They’ll appreciate the support, but they also needs to get focused for the game.
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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 they look up and sees you staring at your phone or talking the whole time, they won’t feel supported.- Sit with their 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.
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Cheer them on at the games. Start by wearing a jersey with their number on it. If you can’t get a spare jersey, paint their number on a shirt that’s the team colors. Make a big sign with their name on it and hold it up when they are on the field. Cheer their name and number at the games. [2] X Research source- Ask the equipment managers if you can borrow an old jersey with their 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 them.
- Yell things like, "Knock 'em down, 88!" or "Let's go, Hector!"
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Learn their practice schedule and accept it. Plan things around their busy schedule, rather than being upset that they're busy. They are going to be practicing for a few hours every day, so make sure you don't plan anything important during those times. Use their practice time to get things done for yourself.- If you feel that you're not getting enough time with your partner, ask them if you can watch their practice sessions. You won’t be able to talk to them, but you’ll see them 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 them more after that. Pro teams play for a few months longer.
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Get to know the other players on their team. Learn the names and positions of the starters, or the people they play with most, such as offense or defense. Take the chance to meet the other players if you are able to. These are their friends, so it’s important for you to know them.- Meet and get to know their coaches, too. They have a lot of influence on them and they may stay connected to them after they are 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.
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Respect their passion for the sport even if you don’t understand it. Football is important to your partner, so you need to respect it. Make sure you don’t call it dumb or make them feel bad for playing the game. It’s important to them and they are important to you, so show them 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 them mad and push them away.
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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 partner which side of the ball they usually play on so you can watch for them when they're on the field. [3] X Research source- 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.
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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. [4] X Research source- 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.
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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. [5] X Research source- 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.
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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. [6] X Research source- 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.
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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. [7] X Research source- 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.
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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.
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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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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow to get a football player to be my boyfriend?Community AnswerProbably in the same way you'd get most other guys. Check out these two articles for some specific suggestions: https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Boyfriend https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Good-Boyfriend
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QuestionIs it bad for a soccer player to date a football player?Community AnswerYou both like to play sports! That's something you have in common, even if it is different sports. Go for it!
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Tips
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Try to spend time together when you can. For example, if you have the weekends off work and he has the weekends off of practice, you can spend time together then.
- If his team loses the game, your boyfriend might be beating himself up a little bit. Try to cheer him up by pointing out great things he did in the game.
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References
- ↑ https://www.hercampus.com/school/ok-state/football-girlfriend-survival-guide-0
- ↑ https://www.hercampus.com/school/ok-state/football-girlfriend-survival-guide-0
- ↑ https://www.dummies.com/sports/football/football-players-roles-in-team-offense-and-defense/
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/31082306
- ↑ https://www.ducksters.com/sports/football/football_down.php
- ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a3114/football-basics-women/
- ↑ https://hellogiggles.com/relationship-with-opposite-schedules/
About This Article
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