Title of my next romantic comedy: Football is My Boyfriend
I got the idea to write this when our 2019 Boise State football season tickets seated us behind a group of ladies who go to every single football game on their own.
That’s me behind the ladies (and in front of the guy with the crazy eyes).
I’ll tell you the plot then you can help me brainstorm more.
When Payton and Brady break up, she’s left with four season tickets to watch the local college football team. She rallies her mom, sister, and a friend to go to games with her, not realizing she’ll still be running into Brady at the stadium. At first the women are more interested in her dating drama than the plays on the field, but as they learn the importance of teamwork and start cheering together, they become raving fans who develop strategies that can help her win at the game of love.
I know some of you are already raving football fans (Hi, Toni), while some of you will only watch the Super Bowl next month for commercials or would rather read a book (I’m okay with that too). But even if you just enjoy a good romance, there are fun things that happen at football games and lessons to be learned.
What experiences or ideas can you offer?
Did your date secretly buy you an engagement ring on the way to a game and keep it hidden in his pocket like my husband did?
Did attending a sporting event reveal another side to someone that you’d never seen before? (Yes, my husband is the guy with the crazy eyes pictured above. I like to say there’s Jim and then there’s Football Jim.)
Did an away game become a romantic getaway?
Did you ever get picked up on by a mascot?
Help me take this novel in for a touchdown. Tell me your stories as well as any lessons on love that you think can be learned through the game of football!
Angela Ruth Strong survived breast cancer, works as a flight attendant, and uses her own crazy life experiences as inspiration for the stories she writes. Her books have earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been nominated for a Christy, won the Cascade Award, and become Amazon bestsellers. She and her husband also got to play extras when her novel Finding Love in Big Sky was adapted for film. To help aspiring authors, Angela started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho.
I’ve only been to one football game, and that was when I was in high school, and it was NOT my idea to go! To say I don’t like football is a huge understatement! I don’t watch the Super Bowl, never have, and don’t ever plan to! I know sooooo many people who love football, but I am definitely not one of them!! Lol!! I have friends that will watch because their hubby’s do. I don’t have a hubby, and I wouldn’t watch with him if I did. I’d be reading a book!!
The only thing I remember about the football game I went to once was how cold it was and how tasty the hot chocolate I got was. I like the idea of this story though. I don’t know that I can offer much advice, except that how people act at sporting events can show you more of who they really are, kind of like putting someone in a stressful situation to see their true colors.
My husband and I watch NFL football each year, he taught me the game so I understand it. We attended two pre-season games with his sister a few years back. That was a LOT of fun! I remember the sizzle of excitement in the air & the die-hard fans in the stands around us. It was an experience I will never forget. I’m hoping someday (after this pandemic), we can attend a few more pre-season games (because they are cheaper)!
As for a romantic story, I leave those up to the experts (writers). Maybe on the “kissing cam”, the guy holds up a sign saying “Will you marry me?” & then kisses his girlfriend (she says yes, of course)?
One thing I love seeing on TV, is the fans who dress up for their favorite team; goofy hair colors, silly masks, even guys who paint their bellies. That’s always fun, I think!
I might have to write a character like you into my novel. ;-)
Great idea! And hot drinks really do come in handy at cold games. I’ve worn snow pants before.
I definitely want to have the “kiss cam”!!! And it’s so fun to dress up. Here at Boise State, we have a guy who wears a blue and orange Mandalorian costume, a couple of guys who dress in the blue and orange tuxes from Dumb and Dumber, and the “Boise State Pimp.” So entertaining!
I went to Texas A&M and a tradition is to have Midnight Yell the night before the football game. You practice the yells (cheers) and get fired up-basically a pep rally. At midnight they turn off all the stadium lights and if you came with a date, you kiss. If you have a date but you’re just friends you stand there awkwardly in the dark.
This is the stuff of romantic comedies! So fun. And funny. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have any true stories. But I did go to all my High School football games. This was a Christian High School, and half the audience played in the band. Not me, but we often sat right next to them, with the tuba guy blasting our ears when there were touchdowns.
How about if the ex shows up with a gal, who is the opposite in every way of the heroine. She makes some stupid remarks, meant to be sexy and simultaneously put down our heroine. Then the heroine jumps up to cheer a score and “accidentally” dumps a 2 litre soda with ice down the new girlfriend.
That’s my idea, now I have to go rest from the exertion.
Oh, I did think of a true story that might fit. This was as an adult, but can’t remember if it was a football game or hockey game. But there was a guy in front of me, my husband sitting on my right, oblivious to the fact that the guy leaned back on my legs, I moved them left, he leaned right. He wore a black cowboy hat and had a woman friend on each side, and yet kept touching me even though I was cringing away from him the best I could. He was drinking beer after beer, talking loud, saying “yes, I’m God’s gift to women type stuff.” Finally, he stretched his arms and definitely copped a feel on my lap and down my legs. I swatted him up the side of his head, knocking his cowboy hat off. It bounced down hill several rows and people all looked up. My husband said “What are you doing?” He’d missed everything. The guy turned around, grinning, and said, “Sorry.” The two women looked up, I gave the guy a squinty-eyed look. The people downhill handed his hat back up. He didn’t try anything the rest of the game. My husband kept saying, “What happened?” I tried to answer, but he couldn’t hear for all the noise, and I was trying to speak quietly in his ear. I think he finally got the gist of it and said, “Do you want me to do anything?” I said, “Nope. I took care of it.”
Good for you! What a creeper.
That could work! And now that I’ve read your other story, I totally picture you doing this. ;-)
Sports are not my thing. I did enjoy being in the pep band, where I learned the basics of the game and had fun cheering along with my schoolmates. I always knew exactly who to root for. When I got to college, collegian sports weren’t very fun for me. Between collegians, I didn’t know who to root for. I did know who to root for when our college played other colleges. But somehow, it just wasn’t as exciting. When I married my husband, I knew he was a big footfall fan. One of the first gifts I gave him (I can’t remember if it was our first Christmas or our first anniversary) was season tickets to the indoor arena football team in the area. I went with him to most of the games, and he explained more of the nuances of the game. It wasn’t my favorite thing – especially the scantily-clad cheerleaders – but we had fun together. When we moved back near his family, he and his dad got involved in Fantasy Football leagues together. They had a blast the first year, and my husband persuaded me to join them the next year. Yes, I actually had to pick runningbacks and tied-ins. I did pretty well for my first time. And my husband and I have some good memories of Jason Campbell to Santana Moss. :D But cheering for only individual players and not entire teams is not as fun to me. So I eventually dropped out when I had my first child. When the whole kerfuffle with Colin Kaepernick happened, we both boycotted the NFL. I’m so thankful that he didn’t try to propose at a sporting event! I am of the personal opinion that if you have to dress it up, either he’s uncertain she’ll say yes, or the attraction is more superficial. I’m sure it works if both people are interested in sports.
Im still single and while I am not into your football. I am a cricket fanatic. I have said if I find someone they have to like cricket or at least let me go to games. I go on my own and normally meet others I have meet over the years (ironically not to many ladies in this group although I have been with other women who love the game) I actually like the fact of going to a game with other like minded women. The same with Aussie rules football I have gone on my own and with a few female friends. I would rather go to the cricket etc than ballet or opera or even museums etc. I don’t know so much about the your football but I think it would be like our aussie rules. All teams have cheer squads which anyone can join and while it may not be the fiancé I do know matches have happened from being involve as some will help make the team banners, etc. And maybe the heroine and her friends are helping make the banner and the hero is also doing the same thing and they get to meet over this. Also if you have members tickets you sit in a set area and you get to know other members and chat.
Speaking of Mascots there is normally someone charged with going round with the Mascot. One could be the mascot and the other is taking the mascot around without knowing who is in the costume til they leave the field.
While dating my then-boyfrien, now-husband, I learned you don’t come between him and football.
I’ve been to college and pro games with him. One of our sons played high school football. I’ve learned to enjoy it, to a certain extent.
When I was growing up football was always on on Sunday’s. I have 3 older brothers and 2 younger sisters. Our 3 brothers played football all through HS, one of my brothers even played when he was in College. Football is o.k., once in a while I will watch the Super Bowl, but Football is not my deal. My husband is not into football at all, so I am glad for that. How Awesome for you. Have a Great weekend and stay safe.
Angela,
I love to watch football. I don’t have any romantic stories to go along with football, but we had season tickets to the Jacksonville Jaguars for about 10 years while we live in Florida. It was fun to go to the games even though the team was terrible for many years.
I am not a big football fan either. I am Canadian and hockey is the BIG game here. While in Georgia in 2019, our friend in Temple took us to the local HS football game; however, our three sons were all avid soccer players and one son did a year or two in Rugby. Our friend in Temple, Ga. said we had to see at least one game so we understood how important these events were. I was truly amazed with the pre-game performance. Wow!!! The visiting team did ‘The House of Thrones’, and it was truly amazing to watch. The game was fun and even though the local team didn’t have the best pre-game performance, they were definitely the best football players and took the win easily.
As far as I can recall, I’ve only been to one college football game and a few high school football games. My husband is a huge Washington fan, and is very vocal about his love when the game is on!
Not a fan of football…WHAT?!…sorry
But I love stories, which include it ;)
Thank you for sharing all those memories! It helped that my husband explained the game of football to me too. I actually got a D on a written test about football in my middle school P.E. class. We are more into college football than NFL too because we have a home team that does pretty good on the turf. :-)
Lots of fun ideas! I’m glad you have a group you get to cheer with. I’ll have to try watching cricket sometime!
He sounds like my hubby. I love the team spirit and rowdiness at games!
Thank you, Alicia. Sounds like you and your hubby are a good match!
I’ve never been to an NFL game! I bet they get rowdy. How cool to have season tickets for so long!!!
That sounds like quite the experience! Boise State has a hockey team too. My nephew used to play, and my husband did the PA announcing, so that was always fun to watch!!! I’ve heard rugby is really tough.
Oh yes. Sounds like my hubby. By Washington, do you mean Washington Huskies? If so, you guys had our old football coach for a while.
LOL. Sounds like you are in the majority here. But I plan to make the book fun for anyone to read. :-)
Years ago, my brother-in-law was attending West Point and so we all decided to go to the Army Navy Game. The game was held in Philadelphia, there was snow on the ground, an icy wind was blowing and it was COOLLDDD! Freezing, bitter cold. Icy wind blowing cold. Freeze your nose off your face cold.
This was the first football game I had gone to since high school and wanted to look really good! That meant wearing a short white rabbit fur jacket, a chic, tight skirt and boots. No hat, but did have gloves. The stadium seat could have been carved from ice. The wind was blowing down my neck (no scarf!) and up my skirt. Finally, after about 4 centuries, the game was in the fourth quarter. I thought I might be able to survive a walk to the heated car if we left NOW. The ball was thrown, caught and TOUCHDOWN!! YAY!!! The game is over!
Nope. The game went into OVERTIME! A long, long overtime…
Moral: Style only matters at a football game if it’s being played in Florida!
Bumper sticker: “Donate Blood: Play Rugby!”
I was never much into sports while growing up. I did attend a few homecoming games in college. We were a small Christian college, though, and even with all the heart our team brought to the game, winning seasons were rare. I used to say that the homecoming games, in order to be wins, had to be against Oberlin Music Conservatory or York College of Women. It was still a dicey proposition!