Dear Charlie,
My boyfriend and I live together, and share a television. There are a few shows that I watch regularly. Now that the World Cup is in progress, my boyfriend is dominating the television. It’s annoying. It’s like I’m not here when the game is on. He doesn’t want to hang out with me. He would rather stay home with his eyes glued to the television. I’m not into sports and am bored by the game, so I don’t know how to compromise with this. What about my favorite shows?
-Not Kicking It
Dear Not Kicking It,
Ahhhh the World Cup… It's only once every 4 years, yet your boyfriend would rather kick it with the soccer tournament, than with you. I like how you pointed out that you have only one TV between the two of you. Ha! Can’t pull the remote from his kung-fu grip? It’s a shame to have to miss out on shows you watch religiously, for your boyfriend’s love of soccer. However, the World Cup is an internationally celebrated tournament famous for its passionate fans. That being said, I’m not surprised by your boyfriend’s behavior. He is far from alone. American men can get pretty fanatical about football, but they have nothing on International soccer fans. Soccer (more appropriately known as “football”) is notorious for having the most extreme fans. Now is the time when people around the world come out of the woodwork to obsess over their favorite sport. A love fore one's country; a love for the national team. They take the term “fan” to a whole new level. It’s like a religion. Some countries see their soccer team as a sacred and beloved entity; equivalent in value to a spouse, family, or career. It’s unbelievable. I swear there’s nothing more fanatical. It is described as a spiritual connection. Players have died out there on the field during the game. Loyalty to the national team has often resulted in blood thirst on the streets, in the aftermath of a losing game. Angry soccer fans have been prone to vengeful conduct. They have rampaged, set things on fire, rallied, rioted, and even killed, all in the heat of soccer passion. It’s serious. That’s not all. During the World Cup 1994, Colombian player Andrés Escobar accidentally disgraced his team by kicking the ball into his own goal. When he returned to his country, he was killed by drug lords who had lost money gambling on the teams success. Can you imagine? It’s no joke to these people. They take it outrageously seriously, to a point of life or death in some cases. There’s nothing wrong with liking sports. Sports give its fans an escape into an exciting event of which they may pick a side. It creates kinship among allies. What is a game without fans? The players feed off of the encouragement of spectators, and this generates constant engagement of fans with the game. People feel a personal bond with their team. It is also easy to play sports, so after you watch a game, you can go out in the yard and have your own. Some couples aren’t compatible in their like or dislike of sports. If you are not a sports fan, then you simply have to compromise. Agree to disagree on sports. Differences in a relationship can be very healthy and keep things exciting. He likes soccer, you do not. Make yourself busy and just accept that this is a special time of year for people like him. Allow him to enjoy this, without necessarily par taking in it. By respecting his hobby, he has to return the favor by allowing you to have hobbies too (even if that includes watching shows when the game is on). We have to play fair. I know men who will carry a small television around during the World Cup. I think you can even watch it on your phone. There must be a compromise. Soccer is great and all but let’s try to keep our heads on and get our priorities straight. The relationship can’t go into one-sided mode when the World Cup is in progress. On the flip side, it’s good to take a break from TV sometimes, because our human eyeballs can only take so much staring at a screen. I understand that TV is a great stress relief for a lot of hard working people, but when it comes to the World Cup, there’s no contest. What did people do back in the times of no TV? They probably found other ways to entertain themselves. Maybe you should dust off an old book and start reading? You have options, but if it gets to be a desperate situation, you might invest in another TV. Anything to make the World Cup less painful for you. Since it's the featured attraction at bars galore, why don’t you suggest your boyfriend go out on some game nights? Maybe you can put a flip channel during commercials agreement into effect. It’s not ideal, but you don’t have to like all the same things. Soccer comes with your boyfriends’ package deal. As annoying as it might be, make sure you remain respectful of each other. All in all, I’d say that if this is the worst of your problems, you guys are doing pretty well.
