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

I’m a middle aged male. Season ticket holder, so I go to a lot of games. I almost never miss watching a game on tv live  (unless something like a wedding gets in the way...which happened this year for the second time ever)

With that said, my wife is a Hispanic immigrant and certainly does not understand my fandom, or the general sports fandom of Americans.  I take her to games when the weather is nice.

1. I'm 43/M, and my wife is 41.

2. I usually watch every one of them, but if something significant is going on, it may alter things.  This season has been good with only two interruptions.  For the Nebraska game, I was at a campground in St. Ignace, so I was able to watch on my phone.  For the NW game, we went to the DIA Star Wars exhibit, and I couldn't get it on my phone at first, so I was watching live updates on the way down to Detroit, and by the time we went to dinner afterwards at the fancy Italian place, the stream was working, and I was able to catch most of the 2nd half.

3. Overall, she's okay with it.  She's not a sports person, but she recognizes that I'm a fan, and this is really the only sport I follow.  I don't watch the NFL anymore, and I'm not a fan of the other sports.  So she indulges me with this.  This last Saturday was dedicated 100% to my family, with Halloween stuff for the kid, and date night with the wife, and she appreciated it.  She's okay with me going back to watching football the next 4-5 Saturdays.

1. I am a YUNG MANN with a BIG BUTT and DIARRHEA

2. EACH and EVERY

3. She is SUPER COOL

1) Take the two dullest opponents along with Rutgers, and dvo them for later, and just spend time with her.

2) This is only practical if you aren't worried about a possible L or a revenge tour stop, but it really breaks up the football season for her. 

3) If she likes to host you can always just make/have friends who have wives she likes, and do football parties at your house for whatever game you aren't going to. 

Those don't answer your questions but that's because I don't do online surveys. Hope this helps.

27. Wife is 28. Married 5 years, with 3 kids. She knows I will watch every single Michigan football game, no matter what. It annoys her sometimes but she understands that's it's only 12-13 Saturdays out of the year. She accommodates me very well, and keeps the kids out of the way if needed(they are not old enough to understand/care about the games but I am looking forward to when they do).

35 with a wife and baby boy. I watch all of them from start to finish. She doesn’t give me any grief bc cfb Saturdays are my favorite thing. But I also don’t watch nfl much. 

I watch every Michigan game and hate doing so on a tape delay. I rarely ever watch other college football games anymore.

But ever since I joined a fantasy football league with my college buddies, I've been watching NFL all day Sunday, and Monday, and Thursday nights. It's an unhealthy obsession that I don't like, my wife doesn't like, and I hope to improve going into every season. I keep telling myself that once I finally win one year I will drastically cut back.

Mid-twenties guy (and grad) who is recently married here. I watch every game and almost 100% of the time my wife watches with me and it's been that way our whole relationship. She's also a Michigan fan, but didn't attend.

39 year old man with 2 kids

every game - last game i didn’t watch was the 2007 oregon game because my cousin is a hippy and had her wedding on a fall weekend at a camp up north

i definitely get eye rolls and ‘i’m disappointed in you’ looks on occasion, but she is resigned to the fact that i’m going to watch the games and yell at the tv.

like anything else, it’s a matter of give and take and picking your battles; she knows its important to me and i try to make it up to her by doing more stuff around the house or watching the kids so she can do something she wants to do

I'm a man. I'm 40.

Generally speaking, my wife is supportive of the time I spend on the blog and watching Michigan games, except during OSU weekend, because the in-laws are visiting, and I can't hide my foul mood.

Hey OP, this is a major red flag. 

The person you marry MUST support you in terms of letting you do the stuff that is really important to you, and you should do the same with her.

1) I'm 55 years old married to a 45 year old UM Grad

2) We go to every home game and 1 away game every year.  We either have friends over or go to a bar for every away game.

3) Grief.....She had season ticket long before I came along and she knows that I married her for those tickets!!!

So she's pretty cool about UM football

"middle-aged" single male; watch all of the ones I can (streamed, time difference). Work occasionally conflicts, but makes me feel awful.

I actually tend to avoid dates on Saturday evenings throughout the fall lest it result in conflict. Over the years, It has been made clear to dates and romantic partners that football (especially Michigan football) is a non-negotiable priority thirteen to fifteen weekends a year. Some will test that resolve in a battle of wills, but most respect it, even if they grumble a bit. I live abroad so some can understand the culture, but most do not. Sometimes they will try to join and watch, but it is usually late night or early morning Sundays, so this hardly ever happens. OTOH I have given up following the NFL very closely, so Sundays there is some room for doing dating and "couple things" on Friday nights and Sundays (and earlier on Saturdays).

On another thread here a while back, someone explained it to his wife this way [embellished paraphrasing]:
"Look, there are TV shows and interests you have - or things which you feel are important - for which I have little understanding or interest. This is like those things for me. You don't have to share my passion and interest, or join me if you don't want to, but at least respect it and allow me this, and I will respect your interests. I love you."

I am 34 and my wife is 28, we watch football every saturday in the fall unless we have a major committment.

I will record the games i can't watch, but she graduated from MSU so we watch Michigan and MSU games..  She was also an athlete there so she has rooting interest.

We go to the UM v MSU game every year in Ann Arbor, and tailgated at MSU this year, but we just had a newborn so we are fine with sitting around saturdays this fall literally doing nothing but watching football.

I try to get a lot done in the mornings when gameday is on so once the games start i have a solid 4-5 hours of working around the house and getting shit done.

Pretty routine to have my dad come over for every game we don't attend, among other family and friends.  So we both enjoy it, except when her team gets stomped out.

55, M

All I can. I work some Saturdays. Even if we have plans I have hulu on my iPhone. A few years we went to the movies and I watch UM game on my iPhone and was able to follow along the with the movie.

Sometimes. I think she gives me more grief spending my time reading this blog. She's a KSU fan and it was rough when KSU blew us out in the BWW bowl.

35 male wife is 34 and we haven’t missed a game together since we’ve met. She’s as obsessed as me. 

39 male.

I watch them all.

my wife is cool with me and Michigan. I’ve missed one game in our 10 years and that was the loss to Purdue for a wedding.

she drove with me to New Orleans for the Sugar bowl 7 months pregnant from South Florida and has been awesome about me and the Wolverines since the day we started dating which was Carr’s Final game.

She’s a mercyhurst grad with a Penn St dad. 

Here’s a doozy for everyone. What if your wife (huuuuuuge on birthdays) has a birthday that falls on OSU every 5 years or so?

comments commence

1. 29 Male

2. We watch every single one of them either on TV or in person.

3. I haven’t seen a game, on TV or in person, without her a single time since 2007 osu game.

it is quite simple... if something is important to you they need to know. If you brush it under the rug, don’t expect it to change. This also means that once under the rug you lose all ability to complain about it. 

There is 7 billion people on this earth. Find someone who you fit with, in and out of the bedroom.

I’m one of the lucky ones. My wife and I are both in our 40s. Met at Michigan and happily married for 15 years. She is an intense, viscous woman when she watches Michigan football. She scares the dog and the kids. I love it. It’s not why I married her but it sure does make our relationship that much more fun. 

My wife's cool. 

She uses the opportunity to read books and work on her projects.

I'm lucky

We got engaged during the bye week. She agreed to get married before the season started, and that I could watch the Florida game last year on the honeymoon because she cut it close.... she knew what she was getting into

I was helping the wife with the dishes on Monday and out of the BLUE she says, "I hear Gronk is questionable tonight." 

My wife has played in a football game in The Big House, something I cannot say I've done.

She has a framed picture of her an Lloyd Carr hanging in the hallway.

I'm a lucky man.

I am 33 years old and my wife is 30. She is super understanding and supportive of my obsession. I watch all the games, try to attend 1 a year (she goes with me), and she goes out of her way to not schedule anything on a saturday in fall. We have 3 children and they are less understanding! I still get to watch all the games though and I am a lucky fella. 

Similar age bracket. 

All of them. 

Never. She knows that it's one of the few things that I really care about outside of general life/career stuff. 

My wife and I have a pretty good deal.  I get pretty much all day Saturday to watch football. I give her all day Sunday.  We’re usually done doing what she wants by 4 pm on Sunday so I still get the afternoon games.

I also make sure to cook something delicious on game day and do a lot of chores before College Gameday comes on.  This agreement has made us both very happy over the last 4 years.

33m with 26f. I told her when we met that for 4 hours on Saturdays in fall that I will be watching football and that it wasn't negotiable.

Now, of course I compromise some, if there is some sort of function or family event happening and it's a low tier game then of course we go. I don't miss big games.

She's come around to half-watching games and learning players names, games are just too long for her to pay attention the whole time.

Been together 6 years now and she's been absolutely amazing about it.

During the minny game in 2015 where speight came in towards the end of the game she looked at me and said, "why did you do this to me? It's so nerve-wracking". Then they won and she was elated, "that's why".

25 male. My GF is also an alum but not a huge sports fan. She went to the games in college and will go now if we make a trip back to AA, but generally doesn't care.

My Saturdays are dedicated to college football. I watch every Michigan game start to finish. I try to spend all day from noon-midnight watching college football on 3 screens (if she's not around I'll watch until 2 AM when PAC-12 after dark ends). I can't recall a game I haven't watched in recent years, although if it's a Rutgers type game I'm cool with not watching start to finish once it's clear we're going to win.

She's cool with it. She knows this is my thing. Pretty much everyone in my life does (friends, family, even coworkers). Saturdays during the fall are my favorite and watching CFB is my favorite. I'd prefer not to do anything but watch CFB all day. Luckily she understands. She has no problems, she can use it as alone time, get work done, watch with me or hang with her friends. She's cool with letting me watch the Michigan game every week, she would generally have it on while she does other stuff in the background if I wasn't there, it's only 3 hours of a week. If there's something she/other friends want to do Saturday I'm cool with it and will miss non-Michigan football if it's fun enough (or she wants me there bad enough), but that generally hasn't been an issue. Everyone knows I'm more likely to show up if there's screens for me to watch.

On the whole no one really cares, her, family or friends. They give me some shit for it but they can have fun without me and I would prefer to watch so it's a win win all around.

1. 34 year old man, married with a five year old and twin 2 year olds

i have to put all the games on a calendar and she still gets pissed when the time isn’t released until two weeks before

pretty much every game is a battle.

I generally get to watch much of the 11 am games because that is during twins nap. Other than that I’m lucky if I get to watch a game live. Really the only game I can guarantee that I watch live OSU. 

This is a wife who is also an alumnus she just hates sports.

ive basically given up on all sports outside of UM football, and some UM basketball. And the odd other college game when there is some kids birthday party or during the naps when I can stay at home on a Saturday

to be honest I really don’t miss other sports very much it’s kinda nice not to have to care about pro sports

The same way I feel when she wants to watch her gawd awful reality shows. 

Bottom line, if she is going to bitch about 3-4 hours on a Saturday that only happens 4, maybe 5 months a  year, I say tell her to eff off. It will only get worse. Women are the worst when it comes to this. Many, not all, want us to accommodate every little thing they want but god forbid they should do the same for us! Is it no wonder why sex dolls are so popular?

Remember, Charlie Sheen when asked why he pays for sex. His reply, "I don't pay for sex. I pay for them to leave."

I’m mid 30’s, I watch every game, and my wife does occasionally get pretty annoyed with it as she’s not much of a football person and she’s not from Michigan.  

We don’t live in MI so DVR is key- I usually try to start a game 60+ minutes behind so I can skip commercials and get it done in ~2 hours.  Since I’m not in the area the chances of someone “spoiling” the game is basically zero- just stay off your phone! This plan backfired this year for both MSU and MD because of the lengthy weather delays, but not much you can do about that.  

I also take my young daughter out before and after games to give my wife some alone time or time to do what she wants.  Yes, everything is still planned around the game but a little give and take goes a long way.  

Just be 100% honest up front when dating.  I told my wife when we were dating that I would literally rather step on a nail then miss a UofM game.  When she would make plans I would say I can do that with you if you do it on Friday or Sunday.

She got the hint and has been extremely supportive....with a couple minor exceptions.  I also make up for it by doing her kitty litter scooping during the season, I take the kids to the playground or out in the woods before the games while she sleeps in, etc.

P.S. our first game watching as a couple was the Horror.  She couldn't figure out why I was in shock and wanting to go home rather than go shopping.