How to Beat the Offseason Blues
Life is suddenly tough for NFL fans. The wild weeks that kicked off free agency are dying down. Peyton Manning picked his team. And, in case you hadn’t heard, Tim Tebow’s fate has been decided.
Sure we had the Scouting Combine in February and the draft is coming up next month in April, but opening night for the NFL isn’t until September 6. For now, Sundays drag on forever with no games to watch and I no longer have an excuse to eat chicken wings and drink beer after church.
Sunday nights are especially difficult without my friends at the peacock network. I miss Faith Hill singing while I am taken over with jealousy (could she be more beautiful or talented?). I miss Al and Chris detailing each game.
So, I’ve strapped on my cowboy boots (I’m from Texas after all, y’all) and decided to kick the off-season blues’ butt. Here are some of my top tips:
- Shop the pro discount stores – they usually have jerseys of former players for an extremely low rate. Nothing says true fan like not paying full price. And who knows what a Dolphins’ Marshall jersey will be worth in 20 years.
- Decorate your man cave with your favorite team’s memorabilia. (Yes, another benefit to be an NFL fan – man cave rights!) I highly recommend checking out Pinterest for darling DIY ideas.
- Follow your favorite athletes on Twitter to stay up-to-date with their personal and professional lives. Or see the occasional frequent temper-tantrum meltdown.
- If you’re a complete nerd like me, set up Google alerts and see what is going on daily with your team. Every day will be bring some level of news – I guarantee it!
- Make your own mock draft with friends and family. This is your opportunity to make some bets and win some cash so you can be that much closer to being as wealthy as NFL players. Ok, maybe not.
That’s my list. What do you do to beat the blues?
Whitney Starling is an assistant account executive at MarketWave, a national integrated marketing communications firm, in Dallas. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. You can follow her on Twitter @Whit_Star and @MarketWaveWS.
