I was a cheerleader from age 8 until 18, when I graduated from high school. I cheered my way through Pop Warner football, YMCA football, Catholic league youth football, and finally, high school football. You'd think that ten years of a cheering for my team to get a first down would mean that I actually knew what one was, right?
Wrong. I literally said the same cheer for years before understanding that on offense, moving the ball down the field is a good thing.
 |
| Not a clue |
[Hangs head in shame]
Today, I'm happy to argue with you about why there isn't enough video evidence to overturn a call and can sit on a Saturday and watch football from noon to midnight, especially when a game might influence Alabama. P.S. - Thanks, Stanford and Baylor!
So, how was it that I finally learned the ins and outs of football?
Picture it:
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The year is 1999. I'm a freshman at the University of Alabama and a Kappa pledge at my first swap. It was a "rave" theme, in case you're wondering about that makeup. It's slightly questionable, I know.
One of the purposes of a pledge swap is to find a date to the football game that weekend. Yep, at Alabama you simply don't go to the game without a date, a dress, and a flexi-flask of bourbon taped to your thigh. That often resulted in a lot of last-minute scrambling for an outfit and a boy to go with it. I had some really random dates that year.
The one thing all my dates had in common? They knew their football, and they were appalled that I did not. And they were all happy to lecture me. Since I didn't know most of my dates from a hole in the wall, I listened and learned.
While Alabama had some seasons that can only be described as fugly during my tenure (3-8, 4-7, the Fancione fiasco), going to the games was a social event one simply did not miss.
Even my brother loves Alabama game days.
After graduating from Alabama, I went on to Florida for law school, where I met J. As very good luck would have it, his whole family went to Alabama, including his Dad. His Dad was the person J called to confirm that UCF did, in fact, beat Alabama during the 2000 season. I was wrong about that so I "had" to go on a date with J. The rest is history.
As is our winning record against Florida. Zing!
When I was given the opportunity to make a custom NFL calendar by SportsFreak365.com, I immediately knew that I would give it to my father-in-law. He's the biggest sports fan I know. Alabama, the Braves, and the Falcons are his three favorite teams. If only my husband had gotten the Alabama fan gene...
For the cover of his calendar, I selected Julio Jones, the wide receiver for the Falcons from Alabama.
I then personalized the calendar by adding in important dates like birthdays, Alabama's 2013 schedule, and the Braves Spring training schedule. You can also opt to add in photos on the calendar, but I decided to keep mine clean and simple.
I gave it to my father-in-law at Thanksgiving. He was definitely a fan. I also think my brother-in-law is going to try and steal it. Like his apron?
My in-laws insist on emailed Christmas lists (the more hyperlinks, the better) to make Christmas shopping easier and I had to laugh when my brother-in-law's list included five different Braves items, one Alabama shirt, and a Falcons jersey. The good news is that I can order all of it from SportsFreak365. Given that Baby Peanut is supposed to arrive all of two weeks before Christmas, I really don't have a lot of time to spend googling potential presents.
So, how was it that I finally learned the ins and outs of football?
Picture it:
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The year is 1999. I'm a freshman at the University of Alabama and a Kappa pledge at my first swap. It was a "rave" theme, in case you're wondering about that makeup. It's slightly questionable, I know.
One of the purposes of a pledge swap is to find a date to the football game that weekend. Yep, at Alabama you simply don't go to the game without a date, a dress, and a flexi-flask of bourbon taped to your thigh. That often resulted in a lot of last-minute scrambling for an outfit and a boy to go with it. I had some really random dates that year.
The one thing all my dates had in common? They knew their football, and they were appalled that I did not. And they were all happy to lecture me. Since I didn't know most of my dates from a hole in the wall, I listened and learned.
While Alabama had some seasons that can only be described as fugly during my tenure (3-8, 4-7, the Fancione fiasco), going to the games was a social event one simply did not miss.
Even my brother loves Alabama game days.
After graduating from Alabama, I went on to Florida for law school, where I met J. As very good luck would have it, his whole family went to Alabama, including his Dad. His Dad was the person J called to confirm that UCF did, in fact, beat Alabama during the 2000 season. I was wrong about that so I "had" to go on a date with J. The rest is history.
As is our winning record against Florida. Zing!
When I was given the opportunity to make a custom NFL calendar by SportsFreak365.com, I immediately knew that I would give it to my father-in-law. He's the biggest sports fan I know. Alabama, the Braves, and the Falcons are his three favorite teams. If only my husband had gotten the Alabama fan gene...
For the cover of his calendar, I selected Julio Jones, the wide receiver for the Falcons from Alabama.
I then personalized the calendar by adding in important dates like birthdays, Alabama's 2013 schedule, and the Braves Spring training schedule. You can also opt to add in photos on the calendar, but I decided to keep mine clean and simple.
I gave it to my father-in-law at Thanksgiving. He was definitely a fan. I also think my brother-in-law is going to try and steal it. Like his apron?
My in-laws insist on emailed Christmas lists (the more hyperlinks, the better) to make Christmas shopping easier and I had to laugh when my brother-in-law's list included five different Braves items, one Alabama shirt, and a Falcons jersey. The good news is that I can order all of it from SportsFreak365. Given that Baby Peanut is supposed to arrive all of two weeks before Christmas, I really don't have a lot of time to spend googling potential presents.
Showing off your team spirit has never been easier! Whatever team you root for and whatever sport they play, find the gear you need at SportsFreak365.com. Just in time for the holidays, you can get 30% off any purchase using the code “Clever30.” And while you’re there, be sure to enter to win $500 toward team gear in Ditka’s SportsFreak of the Week Contest!
I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.
How fun! I never got into college games because neither my husband or I went to a big school. But I'm all about NFL! (even with the ref strikes, bounty scandals, and overpaid divas)
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