There is a special type of guy in this world that goes by the name of Lacrosse Player. As someone who did theatre all through high school and dated three guys who ended up being gay, I never imagined that I would find myself in a long-term relationship with a lax bro.

About two weeks into our relationship, I started to see the symptoms of a lacrosse obsession in my boyfriend, and I quickly realized how oblivious I was to the lacrosse culture: the terms, the egos and most importantly, the obsession all lax bros have with the Duke Lacrosse team. If you ever find yourself dating a collegiate lacrosse player, as I have, knowing these six things will help you SIGNIFICANTLY.

1. What he means when he says "tilt"

By most standards, tilt refers to something being sloped, but in lax bro terms, tilt refers to when a player pulls down his helmet so that the visor rests just above eye-level. Apparently, if you do not have “sick tilt,” you are not a respectable lacrosse player. Who knew?

2. What he means when he says he needs to "fix his lettuce"

Contrary to what I originally thought, he is not about to go make himself a salad. Lettuce refers to his hair. Lax bros love their hair and they will spend at least 20 minutes applying pounds of American Crew pomade to their flow. I have learned that I need to give my boyfriend at least a 45-minute warning before I am hoping to leave for an event because he takes longer than a 16-year-old girl to get ready.

3. What he means when he calls a player a "Paddington Bear"

Although your lax bro may have seen the loveable animated film entitled Paddington, that just so happens to be about a stuffed toy bear, this lax bro term is not quite as sweet. In lacrosse, a Paddington Bear is a fat goalie. So endearing, right? A little sensitivity training may be in order.

4. I'm sorry, but he loves his lacrosse stick more than you

I shit you not, the first time my boyfriend showed me his lacrosse sticks, he said “these are my girlfriends” to which I responded, “I thought I was your girlfriend.” And then, ever so sweetly, he replied, “No, you’re my other girlfriend.” He will call his stick by any number of names such as a twig, a spoon or a wand, but you just have to do your best not to be jealous of an inanimate object. A more recent conversation with my boyfriend went something like this:

Me: Are you cheating on me with your lacrosse sticks?

Him: It would be more accurate to say that I’m cheating on them with you.

Thanks, babe, love you too.

5. Who are the top teams?

Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Johns Hopkins and Syracuse are the top collegiate lacrosse teams in the country. This is just something you need to know if you want your relationship to last longer than a month. Also, if one of these teams are playing, don’t expect to hear from him that day.

6. Why they are so great

As much as I make fun of my boyfriend for his obsession and slight douchiness, lacrosse players get a bad reputation and most of the time it’s not accurate. Despite my lax bro’s somewhat inflated ego, he truly is an amazing guy. If I am willing to listen, I love hearing him talk about lacrosse because he has such a passion for it, and that passion is something special that exists in lax bros.

As I have learned, playing lacrosse is not simply an activity, but a lifestyle. Thanks to my boyfriend, I have a newfound respect for this sport and I know that if my kids ever want to try it someday, I will proudly purchase their first helmet, one with, of course, sick tilt.

P.S. Special thanks to my boyfriend for helping me write this article with absolute accuracy.