MEMO TO MEN: Playing the game of love

MEMORANDUM
TO: Men all over the planet
FROM: Melissa
RE: The big game
DATE: February 6, 2012
So, boys, as I understand it, there was a pretty important sporting event yesterday. Frankly, I’m not too surprised that I almost missed it. Honestly, I’m not really a sports fan. They’ve never really been my speed — all that competition, stress and sweat? Who could possibly stand all that?

Well, apparently a large portion of the American population. There are people that live for this day, who hold it in high esteem above all other days. But this year, I thought differently. I wanted to be one with this national pastime; well, OK, that’s sort of a lie. I really only wanted to use the Super Bowl as an excuse to eat all that delicious food. And enjoy that food I did, but not before I tuned in to the game just for a few moments — for good measure, of course.

And then I realized something: All this football business is a lot like love. Sometimes eerily similar, actually. Don’t believe me, boys? I give the connections between football and the tango of love…
It’s all one giant game of chase
Chasing something. Running from something. Sending mixed signals in an effort to confuse yoir opponent. In football and in love, you want one thing: To win. It’s just in football, you want to win by capturing the ball (is that even correct?), and in love, you want to win by capturing someone’s heart. But when you think about it, sometimes the chase is half the fun. There’s a palpable excitement during the game (both the game of football and the game of love) that can make all the stress and worry wash away, if only for a little while.

There’s so much anticipation leading up to one game
You create this fantasy in our heads about how wonderful it’s going to be. Sometimes that fantasy turns out to be true. Sometimes, well, it doesn’t. But no matter the outcome, the power of the fantasy is real — maybe more real than anything you’ve ever experienced. You get a thrill just thinking about what it could be like, what the outcome could be, what we could say and how we could feel. It all spins through our head faster than that tiny football can fly through the air.

There’s competition and sizing each other up
When it comes to love, like in football, we can be vicious. You get jealous and angry and confused and frustrated. Love tirelessly messes with you, and you sometimes start to wonder why you ever started comparing yourself to others in the first place. After all, they seem bigger, stronger, faster and more quick-on-their-feet than you are. But then you realize that you have something they’ll never have: The courage to make it all the way to the 50-yard line (again, is that even correct? )

It drags on for far too long
Sometimes, like in football, you just can’t let you. Just when you think it’s over, it pulls you right back in; you even try to avoid it, but sometimes, things just go on and on and on.
So, what do you think, boys? I can’t help but think I’m on to something here. And who knows…maybe I’ll even learn to like football one day… xoxo

[Photos via Dream Yourself Along Another Day]