Two things in life make me very happy: organization and sports (yes, I realize that the two are completely unrelated, but stick with me). I’m a big fan of planning things out. When my day is planned out to the minute, I’m a happy girl.
I’m also a big fan of sports. I love sitting down and watching a basketball game or sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley Field and watching my beloved Cubs make a valiant effort to win for at least an inning or two.
I’m 20 years old, but if I could have my life until I’m 40 figured out, I’d be happy. I think that, as time passes, certain milestones in every woman’s life should be passed. Things that I hope to accomplish by the time I’m 40 began racking up in my mind, and given my love of sports, a few of those just happened to pertain to sports (go figure). By the time a female sports fan is 40-years-old, she should have:
1. Sat in the bleachers at Wrigley Field … not to get a tan, but to watch the game (a personal favorite of mine, hence its No. 1 listing).
2. Hustled a guy playing pool.
3. Seen the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team play live.
4. Earned a battle scar playing pick-up soccer or football games in the park.
5. Never given up hope that her favorite team just might win the World Series, even if she is cheering for the Cubs or the Red Sox.
6. Outran at least three males in a footrace.
7. Sang “San Diego SuperChargers” along with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson on “NFL Primetime.”
8. Watched SportsCenter.
9. Successfully argued that gymnastics is a sport, despite the fact that it is not a game or a race of any kind.
10. Been able to name the starting lineup of her favorite professional team without pausing to take a breath (checked that one off when I was 11, with the 1993 Chicago Bulls).
11. Kept tabs on her alma mater’s teams.
12. Owned (and worn) at least three baseball hats that do not bear the name or logo of a trendy retailer.
13. Read the sports section of the newspaper first.
14. Realized that the L.A. Clippers will never win an NBA championship ring … Ever.
15. Attended a cross-town rivalry game.
16. Yelled obscenities at a referee or am umpire.
17. Read Sports Illustrated from cover to cover.
18. Camped out to get tickets to a home opener or the playoffs.
19. Missed class or work to see a game live.
20. Gone to a sporting event not to check out any of the players.
21. Reminisced about going to ball games with Dad when you were little.
22. Beaten out at least eight guys in a Super Bowl pool.
23. Stayed up until all hours of the night arguing about baseball with your best guy friend.
24. Grown up playing tee-ball in your backyard with your sister and the neighborhood kids.
25. Been able to name the man who holds the record for most hits in a rookie season.
26. Heard your dad say, “I shouldn’t try to explain this to you, you know more about it than I do” at an NHL game (don’t worry Dad, I still had a great time at the game!).
27. Sat through football and soccer games underneath blankets and sleeping bags.
28. Coached pee-wee soccer, basketball or softball (complete with treats and juice after the game) and handed out trophies at the end of the season, regardless of what the record was.
29. Driven a minivan (granted, I despise minivans, but they are a staple of youth sports).
And, the last thing that every female sports fan should have done by the time she is 40-years-old:
30. Completely baffled a man with her sports knowledge.
This is my list, and I’m proud to say I’ve accomplished a few of these tasks. However, I’m not too sure I’ll ever get to the minivan.
