The Super Bowl: What Dat?
February 3, 2010 5:35 PM | 0 Comments
This is the question I used to ask myself before the conversion, before I broke ranks with sports widows everywhere, before I stopped loathing the Super Bowl. Only, I'd actually say: "What's that?" since I'm not from Louisiana. Five years ago, I decided to embrace this event instead of shun it, to connect with my inner sports fan (as small and dwarfed as it is). Oh, and what rewards!!!
I still could care less about who's playing, who wins, whether it's the New Orleans Saints marching in or the Indianapolis Colts. The football game aspect is just a sideshow. Now, I focus on the opportunity to socialize and introduce new snack cuisine to my repertoire. This event presents me with the opportunity to explore Louisiana gumbos or shrimp stews or Po Boys (my husband is Cajun) or I can make tropical drinks that have a sunny Florida inspiration or I can make something Hoosiers would eat. I was born in Indiana and spent my summers there growing up, but I don't know WHAT to do with that. Help me out here. Green bean casserole? Jello with suspended marshmallows and canned fruit?
So, yes, I confess, I am looking forward to this Sunday. The creative television advertising, the ancient rock legends (Who Dat?), the Puppy Bowl, the opportunity to become reaquainted with Roman numerals. It's all good. But, please don't expect this tolerance to continue the rest of the year. After all, for one day I am unfaithfully yours,
The Sports Widow
aka Super Bowl 44 Sponsor
Tell me what you think of The Super Bowl: What Dat?...
From the Football Archives
The Sports Widow’s Super Bowl Highlights
February 2, 2009 11:00 AM | 0 Comments
I hosted my annual Super Bowl party to celebrate the
Football Bowl Pool Offers Hope to Convalescing Sports Fan
December 15, 2008 12:13 PM | 0 Comments
My sports fan husband Bryan is recuperating from a total hip replacement surgery, which was performed this Tuesday.
The Sports Widow Thanksgiving Survival Guide
November 21, 2008 10:29 AM | 0 Comments
Got Game? Nearly 400 years after the first Thanksgiving occurred at Plymouth, this is still the question. But you know I’m not talking about the Wampanoag’s bagging turkeys for the first harvest potluck. My reference is to the endless football and basketball games that compete for our sports fans’ attentions during the 4-day holiday marathon. Put that together with intense cleaning/cooking/entertaining, round-the-clock childcare and frequently dysfunctional family reunions and what's a Sports Widow to do?
Political Football: How Can Sports Widow's Play It?
November 7, 2008 4:55 PM | 0 Comments
All week we've been hearing about politics. I'll tell you what's political in a male-female relationship, or a sports fan-sports widow relationship: Time. I'll tell you about a turf war: Football. In the days of yore, there were only three stations and Monday Night Football, but now football oozes into every crevice of our lives. The Safeway cashier talks about how the game is keeping shoppers at home, the pastor references the game in his sermon, the flat screen TV in your local restaurant intrudes on your night out, the sports commentator on the radio blasts while your fan searches for a parking space, and worst of all Saturdays and Sundays are dominated by college and professional football.
At the crux of it, it's all about time: me time, we time as a couple, we time as a family AND, of course, equity. There really is no equivalent to sports fanatacism in most women's lives. We laughlingly say shopping is an antidote, but the fact is that two things curtail our shopping - time and, sadly, budget! My husband easily spends about 10-15 hours a week on sports, but the times where the parity rubs me wrong are the long 2 to 3-hour stretches. When you have young children, someone has to shepherd them. This is time I want back.
Football Widow Tips: NFL Season Survival Guide
September 1, 2008 5:33 PM | 0 Comments
It's hard to believe that it's early September and that NFL football is in full swing. It's a grim reality for Football Widows throughout the country. But it doesn't have to be. My roots as a Sports Widow began with being a young Football Widow. In the 1960s and 70s football was dominated by male fans, and my Dad, stepfather and all of their cronies were no exception. Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, football meant the Green Bay Packers and the University of Wisconsin Badgers, but mostly the Green Bay Packers.
This was before there were more than three TV channels and the World Wide Web. Today's Football Widows compete with more than Monday Night Football, they contend with Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, and Thursday night football, and 24/7 commentary on television, in newspapers and on the web. They also compete with Fantasy Football Leagues and Madden '08 video games that can be played on-demand, online or via X-Box 360, PlayStation 3, Game Cube, etc. Football season can make you feel sidelined, but here are some ways you can take charge of the situation.
An Awkard Football Widow Moment
August 30, 2008 10:05 PM | 0 Comments
I like to wear the color red. Anyone who knows me, works with me would quickly tell you this. It's not because it's supposed to be some power color; it's mostly because when you live in an overcast city like Seattle, you want to bust through the dreariness.
I just got back from a University of Washington Huskies party to celebrate the first game of the season against the Oregon Ducks. The party was hosted by Tracy, one of my sports fan husband's (Bryan) colleagues. Knowing it was a casual affair, I didn't put too much thought into my wardrobe choice. I wore a red hoodie, black cargo paints, red sandals and red & silver earrings.
Red Alert: College Football Starts Today
August 28, 2008 10:05 AM | 0 Comments
I glanced at the Sports section of the newspaper on our kitchen table this morning and the main feature was a preview of NCAA College Football. EEEEKKKK! It's here, and it's not going anywhere soon.
What are the ramifications or as I call them, the famications (impact on family): Football games (which are daylong affairs from door-to-stadium), football on TV, football game play-by-plays delivered by sports commentators on the car radio during weekend recreational outings, frequent checks on the Internet for football results, fantasy football team updates, and even football-related traffic congestion en route to my church (which is near the University of Washington Huskies stadium). Yes, football is in the air.
The Sports Test, Quoth the Raven and Other Baltimore Stories
August 22, 2008 9:30 PM | 0 Comments
It was our last full day on the East Coast and 10-year-old Austin had to see The National Aquarium in Baltimore. When he is not planning to be a baseball or basketball player, his goal is to be a wildlife photographer or to host a wildlife show, a la Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter.
The Sports Widow & The Seattle Seahawks: An Ironic Pairing
August 7, 2008 10:22 AM | 0 Comments
Well it happened last night. I can once again add the phrase As Seen on TV to my list of credentials. Last week, a video crew came to our house at dinnertime to videotape our typical evening ritual. This was all a part of the Nutrition & Fitness for Life pilot program that Austin (age 10), Caroline (age 8) and I participated in. It was created in conjunction with the National Football League, the Seatle Seahawks and Virginia Mason Medical Center, which is where our pediatrician of 11 years resides.
A Sports Widow Football Season Advisory
August 4, 2008 8:44 PM | 0 Comments
I am so exhausted today because I stayed up until 1:30pm contending with a culinary UFO, one of those situations where you unwittingly encounter the paranormal in preparing a very basic dish. Bear with me, there IS a Sports Widow message here.
Spiraling Into Football Season
August 2, 2008 10:07 PM | 0 Comments
Today was one of those days when my best strategy is to divide and conquer between the boys and the girls in the family. It's my oldest daugther Kit's 14th birthday and we're having a casual party at Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis club, our community pool. And, ironically, because I, 10-year-old Austin and 8-year-old Caroline participated in a health & fitness pilot program that is sponsored by the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL with Virginia Mason Medical Center, I get all sorts of football-related opportunities, and one came our way this week.
Patriot Fervor is Doused, but Sports Widow Super Bowl III Party is a Success
February 4, 2008 9:27 AM | 0 Comments
Needless to say, after spending the past week incorporating "My Pats" into every conversation and trying to internalize fan fervor, it was really disappointing when the New England Patriots lost yesterday. Well, momentarily disappointing might be more accurate. I nearly missed the denouement, because I was about to march upstairs to bust up a fracas between some of the kids who attended our Sports Widow Super Bowl III Party, when it occurred to me that something monumental was about to happen. Surprise, those New York Giants pulled it out at the last minute! The scoundrels. So much for "My Pats."
Countdown to Super Bowl Xtra Large II: Football Widows Unite
January 28, 2008 7:26 PM | 0 Comments
With just days before the Super Bowl and days before what has become my traditional annual Super Bowl party (Sports Widow Super Bowl Party III), I'm finalizing my strategy, so in the interests of helping my Sports Widow comrades, I'm sharing mine with you. Here are my tips as a card-carrying Sports Widow/ Football Widow.
Mourning the Green Bay Packers and Pondering Men are from Mars, Widows are from Venus
January 21, 2008 11:26 AM | 0 Comments
So, yesterday's game was an abject disappointment for my kindred Cheeseheads. In their dreams they hoped for a dramatic repeat of the legendary Ice Bowl. Since this Green Bay Packers vs. The New York Giants game was the third coldest played in NFL history (the first being the Ice Bowl), the stars should have been aligned.
I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about this hosting opportunity, so I offered a medley of cheeses, crackers and low-impact culinary selections that still saluted my Cheesehead roots and paid tribute to the nickname my kids have given me: The Dairy Queen. Since I'm a fairweather Cheesehead, I woke up feeling pretty chipper this morning, but the disappointment lingers for fans like my friend Keith, who incidentally was interviewed with his wife Melinda on our pilot radio show. To find out how Keith felt before the game, check out his essay under the Football section. I am anxious to hear about his recovery.
Men are from Mars, Sports Widows are from Venus
January 20, 2008 12:14 PM | 0 Comments
By Keith Mack (Life-long Packers Fan and Sports Widow-maker)
I am in football heaven. My beloved Green Bay Packers, left for dead in 2005 with a 4-12 record, are going to play for the NFC championship at Lambeau Field! They crushed the Seahawks, scoring touchdowns on six consecutive drives after two early fumbles. Brett Favre, written off three years ago by most “experts,” is playing like he’s 28, not 38. Cheeseheads everywhere are fantasizing about the Lombardi trophy coming home (translation: Packers win Super Bowl).
The Packers Vs. The Giants Vs. The Sports Widow
January 18, 2008 5:56 AM | 0 Comments
Last Saturday I had my first-ever post-season football party, apart from having a handful of Super Bowl parties. And, this Sunday, it's looking like I may be doing an encore with the upcoming Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants game. Note, I've never had a pre-season football party, so this undoubtedly will be a very exciting event when it occurs. Like most things in life, I just tumbled into having a little football shindig. I was chatting with those cheesehead neighbors of mine (who, incidentally, are all named Mike), and before I knew it I had invited two families to my house and was launched into event planning. Here are some of my reflections, my deep thoughts on being a Football Game Tailgate Party Hostess.
Cheeseheads Unite - The Green Bay Packers Play the Seahawks
January 10, 2008 7:52 PM | 1 Comments
The Green Bay Packers play the Seattle Seahawks in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at Lambeau Field this weekend. I've lived in Seattle, WA, for nearly 20 years, but I'm originally from Wisconsin, hence the fetching cheesehead photo of me. You can best describe me as A Cheesehead Without a Cause (since Packers fever never infected me, but claimed the lives of nearly every male I ever encountered in the state of Wisconsin). But, in the spirit of finding ways to rise above my disenfranchisement, tomorrow we've invited some Green Bay Packers fans to our house for a tailgate party. Believe it or not, on my block alone there are two Green Bay Packers fans, one from Wisconsin and one from Townsend, Montana. I'm intrigued: How does a guy in his 40s from Townsend, Montana, become a Packers fan? So, I chatted with Mike last night about it.
Snowflakes on the Football Field Coconut Cake Recipe
January 5, 2008 6:51 PM | 0 Comments
Over the holidays, my 8-year-old daughter Caroline and I baked one of the most incredible cakes in my repertoire, and to honor the College Football Games and Professional Football play-offs, I've anointed it with the above title: Snowflakes on the Football Field Coconut Cake. This recipe is another treasured one I inherited from the legendary baker Aunt Joan, pronounced in Deep Southern as two syllables - Jo-ON, who lives in Purvis, Mississippi. It's gorgeous, snowy and delectable.
This cake is my mother-in-law's favorite so I baked it for her 74th birthday, which is on Dec. 30. Fortunately, she took the last of the cake home today, which was a relief for me. I am a lightweight when it comes to expiration date tolerance. Anything over three days old is positively wretched in my opinion. She, on the other hand, is not squeamish and happily packed up the remains of the cake in a ziplock bag.
College Football Bowl Fans Might Consider a Peace Offering
December 18, 2007 7:59 PM | 0 Comments
The other night I drove into my usual space on the street in front of my house, when a figure emerged from the shadows clutching a piece of paper. It was an ambush from my across-the-street neighbor Mike. Knowing my proclivities and reigning title as The Sports Widow extraordinaire, Mike sheepishly confessed that he had something he needed to deliver the Sports Fan in my house. Did I detect trembling hands? Them's fightin' words, bucko.
Fan Fare: More Football Widow Tailgate Party Recipes
December 3, 2007 3:09 PM | 0 Comments
For hundreds of thousands of football fans around the nation every year, tailgating has transcended from burned burgers and blistered hot dogs on the hibachi to an elaborate event. For the football widow, the tailgate party can offer an opportunity to join in the fun of the game without having to endure the actual game, if you know what I mean. Why not consider inviting other football widows and their fans to a home tail-gating party (pre-game/halftime/post-game/televised game), where you can stay dry & warm. As a survivor of harsh Wisconsin winters, I place a high premium on comfort.
The Tailgate Tradition
According to Wikipedia, "In North America, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consumption of alcoholic beverages and barbecuing. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during sporting events.” Hardcore tailgaters pack designated areas with everything from beat-up pickups and mini-vans to customized RVs emblazoned in team colors and logos. Families and groups get together each week to try to outdo each other with ever-more-elaborate setups; RV's and tents equipped with BBQ grills, beer kegs, margarita dispensers and more. The American Tailgaters Association and the United States TailGating Association have created websites devoted to inspiring professional and amateur tailgaters alike to craft memorable events, share tips/recipes, and shop for tailgating gear.
Though Seattle ranked dead last in tailgating.com's 2007 national survey of major football cities, the festive scenes outside the Seahawk’s Quest Field and University of Washington’s Husky Stadium suggest that the phenomenon is alive and well in the Emerald City.
More Tailgate Party Recipes
Here are some easy-to-prepare-ahead recipes for your tailgate party, whether its indoors or outdoors.
Fan Fare: Sports Widow Tailgate Party Recipes and Tips
September 9, 2007 10:27 AM | 4 Comments
Go out for the pass or step up to the plate for some sports-inspired recipes and entertaining ideas.
Occasionally my father would take me and my two older brothers to his alma mater for football games in Madison, Wisconsin. Inevitably, he would try to buy tickets from scalpers to the University of Wisconsin Badger games, and we would all get split up. I would be sentenced to endure the game solo with a loud-mouthed, John Candyesque Midwesterner seated beside me, making arm-chair calls, shouting obscenities, and splashing beer on me throughout the game.
My only consolation was the pre-game tailgate party. This cherished rite combines four American institutions into one: sports, automobiles, picnics and alcohol. And, in the Midwest, you can add a fifth ingredient: sausages. Bratwurst. Knockwurst. Bockwurst. Amherst. You name it.
When it comes to a tailgate party, I simply have to channel my Wisconsin cheesehead roots. While I wasn't a Greenbay Packer's fan, I do know the essentials of a truly good tailgate party, and the menu has to include the proper equipment (which years ago was a hibachi and now is probably closer to a George Foreman Grill), Usingers Brats (the all-time best sausages are Usingers), Wisconsin cheese products and maybe a cherry pie with cherries from Door County, Wisconsin. And, yes, leave your concerns about cholesterol at home.
Fantasy Football...Football Widow's Nightmare
September 3, 2007 10:26 AM | 2 Comments
I guess I’m lucky. Nobody in my family is into Fantasy Sports. Apparently, other sports widows are not as fortunate.
I ran across a story recently on FOXSports.com, Top 10 signs you're a fantasy football addict and it got me thinking. According to FoxSports, more than 10 million people play Fantasy Football each year. If the sports fan in your life has a fantasy team, you might want to have him take the test.
“The typical player is 41 years old, married with 2 kids, has a household income of $95,000 and, in what should come as a shock to nobody, is usually male”, according to a new survey conducted by Kim Beason, an associate professor at the University of Mississippi.
Football Widows Unite...Bye Week is My Week!
August 27, 2007 7:44 AM | 3 Comments
The first time I saw the letters B-Y-E, they were on a basketball schedule distributed by one of Austin's coaches earlier this year. (A refresher, Austin is my active 9-year-old son). When I saw the word B-Y-E, I called my sports fan husband Bryan to decode it. As Shakespeare penned, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." But parting can be good. In fact, BYE may be one of the most beautiful, inspirational terms a Sports Widow could ever read. A recent contributor to sportswidow.com, who is a football fan, reminded me of Bye, but also pointed out its power. Keith just could be my Deep Throat, providing rare insights into the mind of the Sports Fan. I wonder if he will agree to meet me regularly in empty stadium parking garages and share the shocking truths about his kind, shed light on the perplexing labyrinth that is the sports fan's mind? Then, again, perhaps he'll just keep writing. That would be easier, wouldn't it?
Sports Widow Tips: Football Survival
August 13, 2007 10:51 AM | 5 Comments
It's hard to believe that it's early August and that pre-season NFL football has already begun. It's a grim reality for Football Widows throughout the country. But it doesn't have to be.
My roots as a Sports Widow began with being a young Football Widow. In the 1960s and 70s football was dominated by male fans, and my Dad, stepfather and all of their cronies were no exception. Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, football meant the Green Bay Packers and the University of Wisconsin Badgers, but mostly the Green Bay Packers. This was before there were more than three TV channels and the World Wide Web. Today's Football Widows compete with more than Monday Night Football, they contend with Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, and Thursday night football, and 24/7 commentary on television, in newspapers and on the web. They also compete with Fantasy Football Leagues and Madden '08 video games that can be played on-demand, online or via X-Box 360, PlayStation 3, Game Cube, etc.
Football season can make you feel sidelined, but here are some ways you can take charge of the situation.
The Sports Widow's Super Bowl Party Tips
February 5, 2007 3:50 PM | 0 Comments
Just days before the Super Bowl and days before we were scheduled to pack up and move out of our temporary quarters to return to our newly remodeled home, my sports fan Bryan decided it would be fun to host a Super Bowl party. This put me into a panic. So many things to decide, most importantly the menu and my general attitude toward the event. Heightening the tension, I was invited to be a guest on the Women Aloud radio show, which is a syndicated program on Greenstone Media. I knew the hosts would want my tips as a card-carrying Sports Widow. So here's what I told them and here's what actually happened in my living room, too.
Super Pressure
January 30, 2007 3:58 PM | 0 Comments
The 41st Super Bowl is scheduled for this Sunday, February 4, and I am already getting an anxiety attack over the upcoming event.
In my opinion The Super Bowl is a lot like New Year’s Eve, an all-comers holiday which always makes me feel inferior and unpopular. This is because on New Year’s Eve I feel pressure to do what I imagine “other” Americans are doing, namely having more fun. To keep up, I should have elaborate plans, wear some low-cut Barbie-esque evening gown, ride in a limousine and exchange a movie-star kiss with my dashing husband when the clock strikes midnight.
But, the fact is that most New Years Eves, my husband and I can’t even stay up to watch the festivities at Times Square on TV -- and we live on the West Coast.
The Bike Lesson
January 27, 2007 11:03 PM | 0 Comments
Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1960s, I was oblivious to sports. This is incomprehensible to most men I know, who can’t believe I wasn’t avidly tracking the tragic exit of the Milwaukee Braves or the promising debut of the Milwaukee Bucks or the incredible feats of the Green Bay Packers. In fact, the Pack is the source of a recurring nightmare I have had throughout my life.
Stalked by Sports
October 23, 2006 10:49 AM | 1 Comments
This weekend, it seems like everywhere I turned, there was some game on and an announcer was blasting in my ear. Whether it was the TV, the car radio, the kitchen radio, the restaurant radio or general discussions, a game was at the focal point.
How I Became a Sports Widow
March 2, 2006 7:11 AM | 0 Comments
The only math formula I ever memorized was: Tragedy+Time=Comedy. When I apply this to my relationship with sports, believe me, comedy is the operative word.
