[Raynaadi]

I need a lighthearted topic.

So I'm gonna bring up SPORTS!

I've never been much of a sports fanatic. I mean I follow my local college teams but thats about it. And I play pool (and yes I consider that a sport darnit lol) and I watch that on tv.

Well my BF is a HUGE sports nut. HUGE. He has all the sports channels on Direct TV and even that MLB extra innings thing so he gets ALL the baseball games.

When we first started dating, I watched hockey and basketball with him because I just wanted to be with him. And I found myself getting into it.....Especially for basketball playoffs, I ended up liking one of the teams that he wasn't even going for and it became fun after finding my "team". (I've never watched pro sports because I think its rediculous how much they get paid, but I had to put that aside lol).

It was fun seeing the presentation of the Stanley Cup for hockey.

So now that those are over, we're tuning into baseball. Now baseball is a sport I've never been able to get into. Its such a slow paced game. But now that I'm getting backstory from bf and learning the rules, even baseball is getting somewhat interesting.

I never knew there was so much drama in sports! This whole Barry Bonds thing, with the possibly tainted record, wow.

And football is starting soon. I've been able to get into football before. It holds my attention for the most part. So I'm actually kind of getting excited for football!

So...my topic here is this: How many of you who are sports fans have always been sports fans? And how many of you got turned on to sports because the man you love loved them so? I think thats what it is for me. I enjoy it now because I love boyfriend so much, so its fun to watch it with him and fun to watch him get excited and forget the stress of the day.

I never EVER thought I'd be a sports nut. But I'm realizing that for me, its not so bad! Its something I get to do with my boyfriend, and thats what matters to me.

I've also turned him on to pool and some of my tv shows, but thats a different topic.

So lets have a lighthearted (please?) discussion about female sports fans!

[bebop]

I use to follow baseball alot and racing, but not so much anymore. I always liked going to the games rather than watching on tv. I am into fishing though!

My late husband was a huge football fan! ugh! lol

[SweetSunshine]

OMG Ray Ray!!! I am SOOOO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! Its so funny to here this because I had to actually turn my husband onto sports. His family were such workaholics that he didnt know how to enjoy tv other than cartoons!!! Its ok as a kid I think to watch cartoons.. but he still comes home every morning and watches them!! He's 48!! LOL!!!!! Well between cartoons and the History Channel EWWW!!! LOL.

But anyways... I have loved sports since I was younger. I played softball when I was in middle school for 3 yrs. It was difficult for me cause I was heavier. But I was a terrific shortstop!!! I made some awsome plays and could hit that ball hard!! Guess putting some weight behind the bat helped!! HAHAHHAA!!! I used to get to go to the Cincinatti Reds games all the time. My brothers company made the turf for their stadium and the Bengals also. TOO COOL! WE had tickets behind home base just to the right of it.. lots of foul balls came our way but I never got one .. sigh ohhh well. But I did get my picture taken with Mario Soto and Bill Bonham.. that was fun!! 10 yrs ago.. when my nephew was sick with a brain tumor.. and had his surgery. I vowed to him that I would become a Cleveland Indians fan if he came out of the surgery.. tried to give him extra incentive ya know! IT WORKED!! Unfortunately he ended up passing away 4 months later. The tumor was inoperable , but I still remain a fan. I love Love LOOOOOOOVE FOOTBALL AND NASCAR though. I cant wait for the preseason football games to start this weekend!! Bengals are my absolute favorites.. but I do like the St Louis Rams and Colts too. And Nascar.. who else is there besides Jr.. Gotta love a guy who drives fast and hard as he does and takes after his Dad!!! And one sho stands up for himself and not feel like he has to live under his wicked step mom! Grrrrrrrrr I have no idea what Sr was thinking giving her that kind of control over something she knows nothing about! Ok.. I blabbed enough here lol..

Thanks for starting this thread Ray Ray!! I'm enjoyin it so far!! lol

[Raynaadi]

Sweet! Good to hear there are other female sports fans here. My ex watched Nascar but my bf now doesn't. Its pretty much the only thing he doesn't watch.

As far as baseball is concerned, I've always rooted for the Cubs because my grandma is from Chicago. And bf loves the Cubs so thats kinda perfect. I of course want the AZ Diamondbacks too. BF's alltime fav team though is the Toronto BlueJays. When he was ten, he saw a game of theres and said "I'm gonna like that team." And so he has for 30 years lol.

Pro football, I grew up with the Cowboys but I'm pretty indifferent. I'll find a team this season like I found with pro basketball with the Warriors. We'll see how football develops lol. BF likes his alma mater, West Virginia.

I guess I've always been kinda like your hubby, minus the cartoons lol. I've always been more into crime dramas than anything else. But I'm starting to enjoy sports!!

[lenjan]

I have been a sports fan since I could talk, practically, largely because my older brother -- he of the 4 sisters, 3 of them older, LOL -- did his best to turn me into a little brother instead. Dad helped. LOL

One of my earliest memories is of my brother saving his allowance for weeks and using one of my sisters' discounts at Sears to buy me a complete Chiefs uniform (grew up in KC): helmet, pads, the works. He used to dress me up in it before every Chiefs game. I remember this mostly because I once fell down the basement steps wearing the helmet.

My dad took me to my first Royals game when I was 8 or so. As we walked to the parking lot after it was over, I said, "so when can we go again?" The next morning at breakfast he handed me the sports page and I had an epiphany, that it was possible to go to baseball games and get paid to write about them, writing already being my very favorite thing. I determined then and there I was going to be a sportswriter. I pursued that through college, when it stopped being fun (exactly because of the big salaries, etc). I'm still a journalist, just not one covering sports.

I'm not too big of a basketball (except for my college teams) or hockey fan, but I looooooooove baseball and football. My Brewers are sucking eggs right now, but it's almost football season -- GO PACK!

[Raynaadi]

Brewers eh? So we're neck and neck for first place....Cubs here.

[lenjan]

We might have to place a little friendly bet -- the only team I hate worse than the Cubs is the Mets!

[Raynaadi]

Hmmmm....if only I had something to bet. I don't really hate a team yet since I'm just starting to get into this. I've been a Cubs fan since childhood by default lol.

[lenjan]

Well, even if you're completely wrong-headed in your choice of baseball teams, I still like you, Rayna.

I also hate the Yankees, but that stems from childhood. But really, all red-blooded Americans outside of a section of NYC should hate the Yankees. It's practically a birthright.

[Raynaadi]

Yeah thats what I'm beginning to learn haha! The Bluejays beat them BAD the other night and bf had to text his friend from NY gloating.

[SerenitysWave]

Cool thread!!

I use to be a HUGE football fan... didnt really have a favorite team but had many favorite players.... Boomer Esihensen (sp?), Lawrence Taylor, The Fridge William Perry, Joe Montanna, and Steve Young to name a few.... Yes I know I am dating myself here and that is how long ago it was that I was into it... It was great fun to watch with my dad... I was quite the picker of winners too... We would watch all the pre season games and I would be able to get an idea of how the teams would perform for the year and based on that I was able to pick the winning team each game... My was pretty impressed and would make bets with his friends... In a span of about 4-5 yrs I lost maybe 3 times...

We were also BIG boxing fans as well. I never enjoyed baseball or basketball.... Did watch some hockey.... Loved to watched skating competitions...

Then I met my husband. Who is a racing FANATIC!!! I slowly lost interest in football and also became a racing fan... NASCAR Nextel cup... I am not into the Busch Series nor the truck series, but hubby loves all racing.... I so like drag racing... Even monster trucks....

Wrestling is big in our house as well.... WWE.... Didnt use to watch much of it but we first got hooked on WCW then when that wnet out WWE it is... we are starting to fall out of interest... slowly our favorites are being replaced as they get older.....

[Raynaadi]

I like drag racing in person. We've got a track here and I used to go with an ex. It was good times! I really loved jet cars. They're actual jet engines on a race car. Very sweet.

[InACorner]

when i was 5 years old i choose the Miami Dolphins as "my team" ....Dan Marino was on the team and the coach was pretty good at the time..the Dolphins actually had a chance lol....and even though they arent winning now...i still am their fan...i refuse to jump the bandwagon lol....im sticking to my team...as for college football ...GO NOTRE DAME!!!!!!!! I love the fighting irish....and for baseball....i love the Yankees.....i love to watch soccer ...ive played to sport almost religiously..and when i couldnt play anymore i became a coach...so i know whats going on and when the players make booboos that others probably wouldnt catch hehe.....and sometimes i dont even have a team...i will just turn on the station and for fun choose a team to win and root for them ...lol thats even better because its all in good fun and you know how some fanatics freak if their team looses...its all in good fun to me ....those are the sports i follow...not religiously or anything just when i catch a game ...its hard to catch one with my scheduale...

[okiedokie]

I am HUGE football fan! My team is the Seahawks. I hope we can do something this year. We get close, but no cigah!
Okie

[Raynaadi]

Alright!! We gotta lotta fans here, so we should have an interesting football season!!!

[biiv]

i almost feel like this is off topic but i love watching tennis! i started when i was very young and i would never go out to play with the kids next door until i had heard the theme song for the french open. lolol. i just liked the song so much and then i started catching some of the play after and was hooked. they stopped televising the french open on the channels i had growing up so i havent gotten to see tennis regularly in well over ten years until i got lots of new channels about a month ago!! wohoo!! i really do not like sharapova. love mauresmo. used to be a GIANT stefi graf fan. cant wait til the next open comes on!

[Raynaadi]

I've watched tennis sometimes. And its not off topic, its a sport too!

[biiv]

the only other person i know who watches it though is my 80 year old great aunt! lol. any now you. sort of.