OT: How understanding is your significant other about watching UM games?

my wife would constantly complain about me watching sports.

so I killed her.

allegedly. 

I would imagine that the results of this line of questioning will vary wildly, with the key fact being -- is out significant other a fellow alum.  

My wife and I are in our mid-40s.  We met at Michigan my senior year.  We have probably been to 50-70 games together since we met, including trips to the Rose Bowl and almost every Big Ten Stadium.  She's great about games -- we still have season tickets and she encourages me to take our boys to as many home games as possible (we live in Chicago -- its an all day event).  Some combination of me, my wife and our boys get to 4 games a year, but this year it will probably be 7 (with the games at ND and NU and 5 home games).

The kids activities are what interfere with games in our family.  There is no way around those.  If we have an open slot to watch the games, we all watch, but usually one or both of use are running kids around.  So the DVR gets a lot of use in the fall.  

1.  I’ve been married 20 years and am not even 40 yet.

2.  Almost off of them.  Usually miss 1 a year to work and haven’t watched an OSU game in 5 years.  Heard I didn’t miss much. 

3.  She watches with me, makes sure beer fridge is full and we’re wearing whatever that seasons lucky shirt/clothes are.  She even yells at the TV.

1. 54-year-old male
 

2. All of them, I only record and watch later if I have a conflicting baseball game which might be one game per year.

3. She gives me grief until given the okay to buy new clothes.  The cost is worth the peace.

I’m a 51 year old male, married 25 years to my wife, a fellow UM fan.  Life is good, we never miss a game.

Good luck dude...

34, male, married for 7 years.  We got married on UM vs MSU and was watching the game at the bar with my groomsmen before we walked down the aisle.  She understands that on Saturday during the fall the Michigan game will be watched regardless of activities, the mobility of watching a football game now makes even attending a birthday party a real possibility.  You have to adapt to the situation, but make sure you don’t sit there all day every Saturday watching college football or else that’s what will get you in trouble.  Just carve out the time for the Michigan game.  If you involve others as well it tends to go over better.  Good luck.

35-45 y/o male (neutered)

All the games. 

My wife decided to work on Saturdays to avoid problems. She has one weekday all to herself for errands and nails and stuff now.  

Age 42, married 15 years

Watch almost all the games live, record and watch the other 1-2 later

Wife usually takes our daughters out so I can watch the game in peace. If we're out shopping or something that doesn't really require my full attention, she doesn't give me grief about watching or listening to the game on my phone. She's cool that way.

1. Mid 20s, Male

2. Every second of every game we play, sometimes multiple times.

3. She's Mexican, she doesn't understand anything that happens between field goals.

I’m 38, male, married for 17 years. My wife is t really into UM or Football. I try To watch every UM game live, but missed the Wisky game because I was with the family in Gatlinburg a few weeks ago. My wife only gets agitated when I basically spend an entire Saturday from 11am-6pm watching multiple football games. I love Saturday’s in the fall when I have no other responsibilities...

1. 46, male

2. All of them.

3. Never any grief after that one time. *

* In our first year of marriage my wife scheduled a couples massage for both of us at noon on a fall Saturday.  It was so cute and loving and I really appreciated the massage because of my bad back and all.  But during our time at the massage she got my hints pretty quickly that Michigan Football is very important to me.  Michigan Football games were never interrupted like that again, although I have done chores or grocery or short outings during the game but luckily the DVR solves that problem.  And I love the DVR because I can skip through commercials.  Win, win.  Now, our 16 month old is a whole different story.  There's no reasoning.  But again, my finger is always close to the pause button on the remote.

All that said, my wife is now a big Michigan fan and wears the colors every Saturday with me.  It's cool.  She doesn't really watch the games but she is interested in the final result.

EDIT - I will also add that my wife knows I am a much happier person when I can watch Michigan play.  Happy husband, happy life, uh well, at least a husband that is more amenable to doing stuff that she wants me to do.

34, Male

I was married to Michigan football for 20+ years before I met my wife, so it was part of what she was buying.

She watches, she doesn’t care. She laughs at me for how much I’m on this blog. I don’t care. I send her to yoga and brunch and I watch with my 3 month old and a cooler full of beer every Saturday and I’ll be damned if I miss a game. EVER.

Best is to balance. Make sure you can be there for the big games; skip an occasional game when you know it will be boring - this builds up credit. You can tape the boring games and sneak in a watch at other times.

Happy wife, Happy life, my friend.

38 year old dude, married 17 years. We watch every possible game together (football & basketball) and she clears her schedule in the fall, not for me but because she loves to watch too. And no she's not a beast, she's quite beautiful and femanon. 

Ok here we go, 

51  Male married for 25+ years with 2 daughters in HS and College. 

Been watching every possible UM football game since I could get them in Houston.  Was buying the college football gameplan originally to get my fix.  The wife simply takes the girls and goes shopping during the time.  

I have 9 (8 male) cousins and a sister and we all watch.

I have been in the back of a church at my cousins wedding before the ceremony watching the UM Iowa game on a 10 inch black and white tv.  It is part of our family and most of the spouses accept it and deal with it and realize that we are much happier being able to watch or go to the game as we can.

Late 40's.  My wife and daughter (13) have no issue with my college football Saturdays.  They get to go shopping all day or at a minimum during the Michigan game.  Expensive, but it gets me the solitude I need to watch.  

This plan started during the RR years when she would try to talk during the games.

My son is the only one who can be here when I'm watching.  He's 21 and no longer lives with us.  Through our ups and downs as father/son Michigan football has always been our sacred bond.  Even now we text during the entire game if he's not with me.

1) 29

2) All of them, unless I have a prior commitment I can’t back out of, like a wedding. I also don’t mind stepping away from a Rutgers/WMU type of game, where I know it’s going to be a slaughter, if there’s something she really wants to do out of the house during that time. Power of DVR.

3) My wife is a UGa fan, so she gets the obsession. We’ve kind of adopted each other’s team as our “second” team. I hope UGa does well as long as it doesn’t negatively impact Michigan, and vice versa with her. That being said, while she’s fully glued in to most every UGa game, once it’s over, she doesn’t care to watch any other games. I could watch all day. I think she’s alright with me binging at the start of the day, but by the end of the evening she’s definitely burnt out from football, and makes it known that we should start watching something else. I do get a little bit of grief from her about how much I’m on this blog, but it’s all in good jest. Besides, all I really have to respond with is “how longs it been since you were last on buzzfeed or instagram?”

1. 36 and male

2. All of them.  Attend all home games and tailgate all day.  Attend 1-2 away games each season.  

3. Never get grief.  When we were dating I told her if she ever gave me grief for a Michigan football game we would be done.  I ask for 8-9 entire Saturdays a year and the away games I ask for 4 hours per game to watch. For the remainder of the year I do things she wants to and work my other hobbies and wants around her stuff.  We now have 2 kids and have been together for 15 years.  Never once had any issue about football games but now she likes to tailgate and go as well.  

The fact that someone who ostensibly loves you is trying to discourage you from doing something that you enjoy and is important to you sounds not great.  

I have a wonderful wife, been married 25 years.

I have been watching Michigan football with the same two guys since 1970, every game, every week. Before I got married I told my wife that Saturdays and game days during football season were mine and I needed her to let me have those days. She said she was fine with that. After 48 years, I still watch Michigan football with the same two high school buddies and my wife has never complained even once.

I have a wonderful wife.

Life long fan, 33 year old man here. She knew my love for the team going into our marriage, and we just celebrated 12 years. She loves watching the games with me if she can. I watch every single Michigan football game, who wouldn’t if you’re a fan??

I explain it this way to anyone who says I watch too much football. For Michigan, I get about 36-50 hours a whole year to watch the games. IN A YEAR! Is that really too much to ask? 

I’m a male, 63 years old. Been a M fan since I was a kid.

We normally attend 2-3 home games each year and of course watch each game we don’t attend on TV.

My wife is also a rabid M fan (she’s a grad).

You should not get married.  

1. 31, male

2. 4-5, but I live in Pakistan, nine hours ahead of eastern time, so only the noon games and the really big ones. When I'm living in the States I watch every game. 

3. My partner's English, and after trying a couple of times to get into games she gave up. She rolls her eyes with a bemused smile when I pass up on evening plans or leave something early to watch but that's the extent of it. No grief.

Late 40’s 

Every Damn Game

she has no choice (There’s the door) 

This is a serious thing I told her when we met when we were young before kids, the house etc:

”Michigan football was here w me before you and it will be with me after you” so take it or leave it. 

My wife, who I met at Michigan, is the one who suggested we get season tickets.  Yeah.  She’s a keeper.

Oir daughter, who also went to Michigan, is more of an obsessed fan than I am.

I’m a 25 year old male. I am married to a 24 year old female and we have a six month old baby boy. We have been together for five years and married for two.

I watch every Michigan game live (on TV, not in-person) every year, unless there is an emergency or fall wedding. If I cannot watch it live, I watch a recording, typically within 24 hours of the game’s scheduled time.

She understands that Michigan football is by far and away my biggest passion, other than my family of course. So she gives me very little grief about watching them. She does however get upset when I suggest we should not make plans when there are other big games I want to watch that don’t invlolve Michigan at all. She refers to those as “Floaties vs Squirters” games and they piss her off.

She’s pretty amazing!

 Secretly wondering how many generations it will take for some men to fully develop vaginas. Annnd down votes incoming but, it was worth it :D

love the topic, and apologize for typing in italics.

my wife has been with me for 14 years. She is an USC grad and appreciates Michigan more than SC. She has been to 4 games, and will watch every game with me even if I am not in the room. I have to move around the house.