Does anyone elses family expect the whole world to stop for football?

[FootballIsntEverything]

My parents aren’t together anymore, but it’s always the same.

You can’t call if the footballs on, if you need a hand it has to wait until the footballs finished.

I remember being in hospital as a child and my mum getting annoyed because they didn’t discharge me in time for the match she wanted to watch, so she went home and left me in hospital to watch it and I had to wait an age to be discharged.

They both refused to meet my DD during visiting hours when she was first born and I was still in hospital with her, because of football – they then moaned because they didn’t meet her until she was 5 days old because they were working in the week (she was born on a Saturday night, so they could of come up on the Sunday but football).

I’m not allowed round to eat if footballs on as they’ll eat “late”, they won’t come to mine if there’s a match on. Their whole entire schedules are planned around matches – my mum turned down free tickets to the theatre for a show she wanted to see on Boxing Day due to football. She also refused to attend things to do with my DD, or have my DD to help me out because "football" - I'm a single parent and ask them maybe twice a year to do childcare, usually parents evenings at school as DD is not allowed to come.

My dad has admitted he loves football more than his children and grandchild.

They support different teams so I can’t keep track of whose playing when and when I am and aren’t allowed to speak to them.

I don’t dislike football, but I think life comes first. But I’m in the minority, as even my siblings are huge football fans and think it’s the be all and end all.

And they’ve started rewatching old matches now, so it’s even worse because they’ll “miss the good bits”. Both have TVs that can pause so they could if they wished, watch it later.

I know I’m probably expecting too much. I just feel left out and like I don’t understand what this huge fuss is about watching 22 grown men kick a ball around.

Sadly my dad is like this, he's getting worse as he gets older. He's also started watching old matches on Sky which is worse because now football is on all day at my parents and he's glued to it! He avoids family get togethers and days out now in case some remote team are playing and it just makes me feel sad. When the season is over its replaced by endless golf and cricket tournaments in the summer.

I'm not sure what the answer is but I feel your pain.

Yeah, my family is like that.

No thank goodness. Football is irrelevant to my family. Phew, what a palava. Ridiculous they expect you to know the schedule though, if someone calls and your busy you just tell them when you're free, no need to get annoyed whatever the reason.

@Mermaidwaves

Sadly my dad is like this, he's getting worse as he gets older. He's also started watching old matches on Sky which is worse because now football is on all day at my parents and he's glued to it! He avoids family get togethers and days out now in case some remote team are playing and it just makes me feel sad. When the season is over its replaced by endless golf and cricket tournaments in the summer.

I'm not sure what the answer is but I feel your pain.

@Mermaidwaves My parents are the same, I'm planning a birthday meal later in the year and they've both come up with at least 4 matches each where they won't go, I've given up and told them they can either come or not but then I'll get told off for not including them!

Its crap isn't it! And I'm sorry you experience this too. I do argue with my dad about it but it's a losing battle. I guess if you've made them offers and they're refusing it's their loss but I get how frustrating it is.

This has been my life. I lived with 2 brothers and Dad who were keen football fans. Then I met my husband, he played football twice a week and trained twice. I now have 2 adult sons who are football mad. They each played for 10 years, with husband being Manager and myself doing paperwork. On top of this husband, eldest son and my brother are season ticket holders so any invite out we have to check what football is on. At least I have my own tv in bedroom so I don’t have to watch every game.

Thankfully not.

I'm always amazed how many people seem to suspend normal rules of polite society on the basis of football though. They take great offence at being reminded that ultimately it is still JUST A FUCKING GAME.

My husband is like this, and it's one of the reasons I'm wanting out of the marriage as it's got worse over the years. Everything revolves around the football being on, and it's not even confined to the team he supports so the living room is basically out of bounds for the whole weekend (we only have one TV). Holidays are arranged around matches (well, they're not because I organise them, but if it means he's missing a game he sulks), any family time. It's utter shit.

The evening he told me to keep his dinner warm whilst the game finished was the day I told him he could join the family at the table now or make his own meals in future.

When we met, I asked about the football (having had a previous relationship end due to the obsession) and was told he only watched his team (league 1 at the time) and England. That was manageable. Where we're at now isn't.

Bloody hell they sound a right barrel of laughs......not!!

Football is something enjoyed in my family, but in no circumstance would things such as serious illness, a new birth or something such as a valued lifetime event come second to football.

Nope we like football but if it comes to seeing my niece and nephew and a games on even if we stay in the house then it's almost 100% gonna be a film rather than football.

Oh and if it came to proper life events then yeah no chance football comes first and we do watch it religiously when our teams on. In terms of dinner we may choose something quicker that day but that's about it

Sounds utterly tedious OP.

My wedding party clashed with some football game. I had no idea until the organisers emailed me with a guest request to have a screen in the bar area!

WTF.

Goodness that sounds awful! Especially if you then get the blame for leaving them out. It’s like they don’t want to admit to themselves that they put football before everything else, so blame you.

My two best friends left my wedding early because a World Cup match was on. None of the U.K. teams were playing.

Still bugs me 24 years later.

I had managed to live my whole life football free until I got with my (now ex) boyfriend a couple of years ago. I’ve never known anything like it. Im perfectly happy for people to have hobbies but if Liverpool were playing the whole day was dedicated to talking about the previous game, hours of pre match wank, chatting about the players as if they were his best mates. Messaging me all the way through the game to keep me updated even though I told him I had no interest. I could put up with that but then he’d start watching all the games between teams that were near them in points in the league. He had a full time job, kids 50% of the time and would still manage to squeeze all this faff in. It absolutely baffling (to me) that there are hundreds of thousands of people that genuinely give almost all their free time, head space and disposable income to something like this.

@WhatsitWiggle

My husband is like this, and it's one of the reasons I'm wanting out of the marriage as it's got worse over the years. Everything revolves around the football being on, and it's not even confined to the team he supports so the living room is basically out of bounds for the whole weekend (we only have one TV). Holidays are arranged around matches (well, they're not because I organise them, but if it means he's missing a game he sulks), any family time. It's utter shit.

The evening he told me to keep his dinner warm whilst the game finished was the day I told him he could join the family at the table now or make his own meals in future.

When we met, I asked about the football (having had a previous relationship end due to the obsession) and was told he only watched his team (league 1 at the time) and England. That was manageable. Where we're at now isn't.

Oh, I recognise this - "you knew I watched the football when we met!"

Yes, but that was years ago when football was only on TV on Saturday afternoon and evening - now it seems to be all day every day!

Hell NO. I wouldn't live like this, and I certainly wouldn't have married a man like that. It's fucking ridiculous.