As a singer and songwriter, Tweet is one of my all time faves. She’s most notably known for her top 10 R&B hit “Oops (Oh my)” from her debut album entitled “Southern Hummingbird” released in 2002. Though her debut album is classic, I also truly enjoyed her sophomore album entitled “It’s Me Again”. At first listen, I was drawn to a song titled “Sports, Sex and Food”. In this upbeat, fast tempo, bluesy, juke joint reminiscent tune, Tweet advises women of three important yet simple ways to keep a man.
“Hook up a meal. Learn some new moves. The way to his heart is sports, sex and food.”
EVE
For generations, women have been told “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” There may not have been conversations with our mothers and elders where we’ve been advised to “spice things up in the bedroom” (certainly not mine), but we’ve definitely carried on with girlfriends about ways to keep the love alive. One bit of advice we don’t tend to get or give is, in the words of Tweet...
“Know about football, basketball too. Know all the players, know all the rules”.
Now, I began playing basketball in 5th grade and I’ve been a fan of the sport for a long as I can remember. I even played a couple years of tennis in my day. However, as a young adult, I realized I was not a fan of football. Matter of fact, I pretty much hated it and called it a gladiator sport due to its violent nature.
However, when I began dating my now husband and after spending just a little time with him, it wasn’t long before I realized he was truly sincere about his family, his career and football. He loves the game. On every given Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening he is planted in front of a TV rooting on his favorite teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and The Ohio State Buckeyes. If neither of them were being shown, he'd root for whichever team he liked the best. He’s all about it. If a television isn’t available he’ll tune in on the radio or watch on his smart phone. Either way, he is totally and completely engaged.
It didn’t take long for me to get it. If I wanted to spend time with him, which I most certainly did, I was going to have to watch and somehow learn to love football. The reality was, football was going to become a part of my life if he was going to be a part of my life. So, I watched and learned and even began to have favorite teams and players.
I became a fan of the game and most importantly someone he could converse with about his thoughts and feelings concerning a particular play, call, trade or draft pick. I became his companion on a whole different level. Now that we are married with a toddler, most of our time spent watching football happens at home and he still appreciates the connection we have via this sport as much as I appreciate the time we share.
My advice to women, dating or married: If you truly enjoy being in his company, learn to know and love the sport your spouse or significant other is fanatic about. It could certainly pay off.