Don't Fuss About The Playoffs

Hello, non-sports fans! Tomorrow begins the second weekend of the NFL playoffs, and we know you're frustrated. We know you think that it's stupid that people spend entire days sitting on their couches watching men throwing a ball, or hitting a ball, or knocking each other down in search of a ball, or kicking a ball, or hitting a frozen, flattened rubber ball with a stick. And yes, wow, those people get paid way too much money to do that, and yes, research has shown all of the dangers of playing those games, from concussions, to early arthritis, to frostbite when you're one of these crazies. We know all of this, and you can bitch about it all you want during the regular season. But, for the love of God, don't make a fuss when your significant other wants to watch the playoffs.

Football fans have four precious weekends of playoffs a year, and we look forward to them all year long. The amount of joy that I had in looking forward to this past Sunday, when I had no plans, a full fridge, and six hours of football about to come on my TV, could not be measured. Granted, three of the four actual games in the first playoff weekend were awful, but there was that fourth magical 51-45 Arizona vs Green Bay overtime game that more than made up for those. There was nowhere that I would rather have been during that game than snug in front of the TV on my couch, drink and snacks in hand, to appreciate every moment. I turned down a fun outing with some great friends just for that experience, and it was worth every moment. And my team wasn't even playing!

And those are just the football playoffs that I'm talking about -- For me, four of the greatest days in the entire calendar are the first four days of March Madness (aka "the reason at least a quarter of the office calls in sick at the end of the third week in March and everyone else frantically clicks to a fake Excel spreadsheet when anyone walks by their computer on those days"). Daisy lives for the baseball playoffs, when she's sleep deprived, frantically calculating pitching match-ups, and going through a nightly prayer ritual that could put nuns to shame. And by the end of the NCAA hockey tournament, Roxy recognizes by sight every team member, coach, and equipment manager involved. Because we love our teams and our sports with a pure, if irrational, love. It's the kind of love that leaves us in withdrawal when the season ends, so we binge on as much of the sport as we can before it leaves us for six months.

So please, don't get pissed when your boyfriend would rather watch the playoffs than go for a hike. Don't start a fight when your girlfriend would rather watch the playoffs than go out to that great new place for brunch. Don't be all huffy when your husband would rather watch the playoffs than see that hot new band. And don't get mad when your wife would rather watch the playoffs than go see that Oscar-worthy movie. Before you start complaining, stop and think about the last thing that you really looked forward to and how much joy it brought you, then don't begrudge us our small pleasures.

Written by Brownie