If Rich Rodriguez has a secret filing cabinet hidden deep in the recesses of Arizona Stadium, you’d find me in the folder with the big, red “UNDESIRABLES” stamp across the front.

At the end of the day, I’m the antithesis of a football fan. My conception of the rules is vague at best, and while I went to my fair share of tailgates my first year here, last season’s terrible record gave me an excuse to stop going. In all honesty, I was just tired of sitting in the sun for two hours waiting for a team I didn’t care about, surrounded by sloppy girls in hacked-up T-shirts.

I watch my fair share of ESPN, played tennis in high school and can talk about my aversion to Tim Tebow as much as the next person. It’s not sports I dislike, I just blame them for the fact that I can’t go to Cheba Hut on a Saturday during football season without paying $25 to park my damn car. But like any other well-respecting girlfriend trying to win a couple of brownie points, sometimes you just have to play along.

This doesn’t just apply to sports. Every time you at least attempt to have an interest in something your significant other can’t get enough of but knows you couldn’t care less about, that internal light bulb goes off reminding them that they’re worth it to you. It’s not about suffering through it, it’s about realizing that the early days of “We have so much in common!” only go so far before your interests branch off in surprising ways.

We’ve all observed those couples who try to stop each other from pursuing the things that make them excited about life, introducing an element of cruelty and control that will only breed resentment not so far down the line. I’ve never understood those couples, because shaping someone into being who you want them to be is so much more exhausting than moving on and finding someone else that already fits your vision of the perfect, pseudo-cyborg boyfriend or girlfriend you really want.

If you’re in it for the long haul, think of compromise as a lenient point system rather than a tug-of-war — if you’ve been calling the shots while watching TV during a night in, let them take over for a bit, and if you’ve gone to your favorite sushi place on your last three dates, throw them a bone and just say yes to Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s not about keeping score, it’s about showing you’re considerate enough to respect what they want before they have to ask for it.

If you’re walking down the UA Mall on Sundays this semester, you’ll see me on the sidelines of my boyfriend’s intramural football games, cheering him on and doing my best not to mix up the colors. It may not be the big leagues, but Rich Rod’s got nothin’ on him.

Have a great weekend, ‘Cats — football game or not.

Kate Newton is a journalism junior. She can be reached at arts@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @katenewton18.

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