By Julie Buehler
Men and women are different. No question.
Certainly any individual can enjoy whatever life offers, but when speaking in general, the difference between genders is a Grand Canyon-sized chasm.
As a woman in sports media, I’m frequently asked, “Why do you love sports?”
And my answer is basic, “Why do you love breathing?” It’s an innate passion, specifically for football, and I love everything about it. The strategy, the calculations, the graceful artistry of the athletes, the jaw dropping hits, etc.
So I know why I love sports, and I know exactly why guys love sports.
It’s because when it comes to sports, guys act like chicks.
Read that again.
In the real world, women are known as the more emotional sex, and men deal largely in logic. But in the crazy world of sports where baseball’s Infield Fly Rule makes calculus look easy, where fake fantasy teams create billions of real dollars, where millions of fans spend billions of dollars to celebrate allegiance to a team, those generalized gender-specific roles are reversed.
Consider this fellas: When was the last time your buddy tried to convince you “his team” was going to win based on a “gut feeling” or because “they’re due?” No logical basis to support an argument, instead, this rational is fished from a quagmire of emotional conviction.
Or how many times have we (the viewing public) been privileged to see a 320-lb offensive lineman or high-profile quarterback crying after a big loss? Even more waterworks are found after big wins.
I have a guy friend who’s a huge Notre Dame fan. After their loss to Michigan, he moped around his house like my sister through PMS, except no amount of chocolate could console him.
Guys just label it “getting crazy.” Hence the popular term “March Madness.” When tickertape at the bottom of the TV screen revealing winners and losers of the NCAA basketball tournament has the power to throw men through mood swings faster than beauty pageant contestants.
You see, sports allow men to uncork those emotions society teaches them to bottle up, and explore life in a glorious state of emotional instability. Women have been doing this since the dawn of time. Men invented sport to make it socially acceptable.
So for guys, sports are a vehicle for them to express their emotions without feeling like a girl.
They are ardent defenders of monogamy. (My uncle will always be a Raiders fan, no matter how many miles separate them, or how many losses they endure.)
They are thoughtful and considerate. (Guys want to make sure their viewing parties are the best, so they splurge on the biggest screen TV, finest beer and foods.)
They are excellent communicators. (You don’t need the volume turned up to know what Jim Harbaugh is saying.)
And their ability to color coordinate body paint with team colors would make any fashionista shed a single tear in pride.
So once you’ve come to terms with the paradoxical world of sports fellas, use it to your advantage!
The next time your girlfriend/wife is accusing you of watching too much football, calmly explain to her that you are trying to get in touch with your emotions without feeling emasculated. (Use those words and you won’t sound like 15 hours of college football punched holes in your beer-drenched brain cells.)
Simple understanding is all that’s necessary for Mars and Venus to find common ground in the world of sports.
I’ll be here next week for relationship counseling, until then, I have some cookies to bake and football to enjoy.
Julie Buehler hosts the Coachella Valley’s most popular sports talk radio show, “Buehler’s Day Off” every day from 3-6 on 1010 KXPS, the valley’s all sports station. She’s an avid gym rat, slightly sarcastic and more likely to recite Steve Young’s career passing stats than American Idol winners. Tune in M-F 3-6 pst at www.team1010.com or watch the show on Ustream.
