A lot of girls have a dream of dating the quarterback in the NFL or dating the power forward for the NBA team. This dream has been rooted in the perceptions that dating an athlete is this wonderful experience full of bliss and muscles. Although there are moments of bliss and a lot of moments with muscles, there are more moments of difficulties. The struggles of dating an athlete extend further than a lot of people know.
“I Have Practice”
If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard this line I would call Sallie Mae and tell her I can pay my student loans in full. Practice will come before anything and sometimes anyone…including you. If you want to go see the movie that just came out last week you’ll hear him say, “I have practice.” If your parents are coming into town for the night and want to meet him you’ll hear him say, “I have practice.” If you want to go get ice cream after practice then the coach will magically schedule practice after practice so you’ll hear him say, “I have practice.” Practice, practice, practice.
Redefining “Dates”
When dating an athlete, the definition of dates gets redefined. Those times of going to restaurants and the movies are pretty much on hold until offseason. After practice, he will be too tired to go out and the night before the game curfew will stop the date before it gets started. During the season, dates will be holding an ice pack on his ankle while he studies the new plays that coach gave them at practice.
Mood Swings
The mood swings are probably the worst part. Depending on how he did at practice or performed at the game will dictate what mood he’s in when he sees you later. If he did great then he’ll be in a great mood and ready to celebrate with some champagne and maybe a private body party. But if he did badly, then you’ll have to spend the whole night trying to make him feel better and reconstructing his bruised ego play by play.
Constant Sacrifices
You will feel like you are the one constantly sacrificing in the relationship and when dating an athlete…you are. You will sacrifice hanging out with your girlfriends to uplift their spirits after the coach took away their starting position. You will sacrifice personal time to support them at their games. You will be constantly making sacrifices to hold the relationship together, and sometimes those sacrifices will leave you emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted.
Groupies
As an athlete, their status will be admired all over the city and the world by groupies. And this goes for ALL athletes because groupies do not care if he plays. Half of them don’t even know the rules of the sport (hence calling a basket a touchdown). The worst part about dealing with groupies is their lack of respect for relationships. They will flirt with your man in front of your face and they will slide into his DMs faster than the rushing water at Niagara Falls.
