In honor of Superbowl LI and all the girls out there who love football, here are fifty-one things (in no particular order) that you've probably done if you're a female NFL fan.
1. Backed out of "girl's night" because, more importantly, it was football night.
2. Worn jewelry with your team's logo.
3. Tried to find women's NFL gear.
4. Ended up having to choose between baggy men's clothes or the one "women's cut" shirt that is sized for a pixie stick.
5. Played fantasy football.
6. Been the only girl on a fantasy football team.
7. Beat a guy at fantasy football.
8. Really badly.
9. You just obliterated him.
10. It was awesome.
11. Called a penalty before the ref announced it.
12. Had a guy tell you you're wrong.
13. You were right.
14. You let him know.
15. Watched a game between two teams you don't care about.
16. And decided who to go for based on the attractiveness of the quarterback.
17. Seriously, it makes as much sense as going by geographical location.
18. But you also back your hometown team.
19. And you would physically fight anyone who talks bad about them.
20. Painted your nails with your team's colors.
21. And done your makeup to match.
22. In fact, you've coordinated your entire outfit.
23. And you looked fabulous.
24. Whipped up some legendary game time snacks.
25. Lived somewhere where your team's games are not regularly broadcasted.
26. So you scoured the internet trying to find a way to watch the game.
27. And came up with nothing.
28. Nothing that doesn't involve paying a princely sum to either the NFL, Verizon, or DIRECT TV.
29. So you did one of two things.
30. You bit the bullet and paid for the coverage.
31. Or you resigned yourself to watching the live score tracker and picking up random I <3 Radio broadcasts from local sports stations.
32. If you were in Europe, you just gave up and cried.
33. You've had a guy challenge your credibility as a "real fan."
34. And you just gave him a murderous glare.
35. Because there is, in fact, no entrance exam for being a football fan.
36. You've semi-stalked your favorite player.
37. You follow him on every social media account and watch every interview.
38. Even if he says the exact same thing every time.
39. You know his stats and records backward and forwards.
40. And woe to ye who decides to trash talk him.
41. Smart people know to not to bring it up around you.
42. Because you'll defend him to your last breath.
43. You've probably hosted a Superbowl party.
44. Only to find that your girlfriends only want to chat and watch the halftime show.
45. So you ended up semi-ignoring them because you were there for the GAME.
46. It was awkward.
47. You may not have invited them the next year.
48. But you have a few girlfriends who love the game as much as you do.
49. And they've always got your back.
50. You can hardly stand the wait until next season starts.
51. Because football is life and you wouldn't have it any other way.
Bonus Round: There's a tiny chance that you may have written poetry about your favorite NFL player in the style of an Ancient Greek epic but I'm pretty sure that's just me.
