To not want to watch adult BILs play football

[Olive180]

DP (36) is from a big football family, and two of his younger brothers play in the same local team (just a bog standard Sunday league). It's their end of season tournament or something next Sunday and DP is going to watch with MIL, FIL, two sets of grandparents, and the partners of both BILs. I dont want to spend a sunny Sunday of my weekend watching random men run around a field. DP isn't usually one for couple 'obligations' but seems really disappointed I feel this way, and is sad that I don't want to go on this family day out, which is apparently a tradition for them.

Aibu? If DP was playing I'd happily go and watch, but he's not!

It's a non-league tournament. It will be primarily milling around and chatting, with a backdrop of football, that's all. It's Sunday league. There will be people there paying absolutely no attention to the football whatsoever. It's a social thing, and it won't be at a stadium or anything. You don't just sit in a seat and stare at the football.

That. It's likely to be all about camping chairs, food stalls, and loads of mingling. The games will each be short, and there'll be more of a festive social vibe. Presumably that's why the family all like to go to this one event.

I doubt that there's anything forcing OP to be there throughout the whole thing, if she's had enough after a couple of hours.

Not the same. I’m not a football fan but if it’s a nice day tournaments can be fun. Atmosphere’s usually good, you can bring a picnic and sit on a blanket catching the rays. They often have a beer tents too!

Could you make an appearance and leave early?

Why can’t you and your DP go out for a meal afterwards let the rest eat flipping sausage rolls to their hearts content. Arrive for the second half and whisk him off for a nice pub meal. Cheerfully wave as you go! 😜

God forbid anyone ever do anything they don't want to do for the benefit of someone else. Especially if that person is a MAN!!

No way would I be giving up an entire day to watch middle aged men kick a football around. Either freezing my ass off or wasting a warm sunny day for a stale sausage roll

See, I'm totally with you. There are football fanatics, there are people who can take it or leave it, and then there are people who despise it with a vengeance.
I'm in the last category. I loathe everything about it and being subjected to several football matches in one day would be more of an ordeal than I could tolerate. There might be a social element to a local Sunday league with family, but it's a step too far for me.

The in-laws and the grandparents have probably been watching these men play regularly since they were kids. That's how the tradition started.
Why should a partner they met in adulthood be subjected to this if they hate it? I admit I'm probably an extreme football hater, but I have plenty of tolerance for other things. Weddings of relatives I don't know are boring, but I go. I'm atheist but I'll go to a christening. I even go to rugby matches with dh even though I don't know what's going on. It's professional rugby and there's a bar, which helps. I'll go to any old boring family thing he asks, because that's what you do. But intensive football, all day, with nowhere to sit and no where to get away from it is too big an ask.

Arrive for the second half

The second half of which of the 6 or 7 matches there will be?

So just rock up for a picnic lunch and then leave? She doesn't have to be there from start to finish.

Tell him you have an equally important and long standing family tradition - we all go to a motorway bridge and count cars of a specific colour for 10 hours. Which colour do you want DP? When he says gawd no way! You say touché! Enjoy your days watching big boys kick a ball.

If you don't want to go, don't go. Just don't make us justify your decision.

What happened in the end OP?