Wearing a dress on Super Bowl Sunday is out
By Esther Legette
Co-author of MY LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF FOOTBALL

I can’t get home fast enough to get this dress off and put on my sweat pants and game jersey. I’m going to kick back on the sofa with my fellas and enjoy the day. The Super Bowl is coming on. It’s hard to believe that I’m as excited about watching a bowl game as my husband and son. Not being intimidated by the language helps. I know the basics now (I’ll explain later). Sure there’s a lot more to the game than knowing the language but now that I do have an understanding of what is what, I carry on a conversation with anybody about the game and not feel foolish. Women commentators and sports analyst like Pam Oliver, Melissa Starks and the crazy guys like, Jimmy Johnson, Sterling Sharpe, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and of course Mr. Primetime, Deon Sanders make football more exciting.
I learned a long time ago that if you’re intimidated by something you know little about you stay away from it because it is too much of a challenge. You either take on that challenge or continue to avoid it. So, I took it as a challenge to get into this man’s game and see what my husband gets all excited about. And, he was the most obvious victim to brain-pick with all of my questions. We only had one problem. (I say we because if I have a problem the whole family has a problem. All wives know what I’m talking about.) The problem was time. You see, between commercials of a game there’s usually restroom trips, chip runs, and even though my husband doesn’t drink alcohol he still had to do a Gatorade or soda pop run. I guess with all of the strenuous armchair-play-calling and the mental anguish of seeing an obviously stupid move by the offensive or defensive coordinator, the body just gets exhausted. How can we get the time in to answer my little old questions? Well, where there is a will there is a way.
For several seasons my mission was to get my questions answered in a way that I could understand. I know all teams and players make up their own words and meanings for their own situations and seasons. It’s impossible to know all the new terms and meanings...and, please don’t even try to keep up with all of the new rules from year to year and the differences from high school to college and then to the professionals. I don’t think the officials can keep up with all of them by some of the calls they make. Just give me a basic understanding of the game and I’ll find out the rest just like the guys do… during the games.
With enough paper and ink to open up a small office supply store transferred back and forth between my husband and me, I have finally received all the answers to my questions. Chop block, hash marks, daylight, shoot-the gap, red-shirt and a slew of other terms are all answered now. I took my time and made him answer them over and over again until I not only understood what they meant but also how they affect the game. All of the knowledge and experiences that he gained from years of playing the game can’t be gained with just a few questions but I’m not about to play the game. I only want to watch. Being an illustration artist he was even nice enough to illustrate most of the terms along with the definitions.
That’s why I won’t be wearing a dress this Super Bowl Sunday. I’m getting into the huddle like I’m down on the gridiron. This is and always will be a man’s game but I say, “Where there’s a good man, there’s a need for a good women or it won’t last.”
If you don’t have a couple seasons to get your questions answered by your husband or boyfriend I do have copies of my questions in a book called MY LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF FOOTBALL in stores near you.
Web. Info: http://www.calsltd.com