How Deep Is Your Love?

While commenting on Deadspin's Up! All Night thread for Sunday, I noted PQ Crash's labeling of sports in terms of serious relationships. I figured it wasn't a bad idea to flesh out.

Football is my soul mate, best friend, and everything I could ever want. We were childhood sweethearts from the day my dad introduced us, despite his preference for baseball. My eyes and my affection could stray, but I always come back, and it became true love when I was a teenager in Denver, and realized everything it could be by watching the Broncos build to win and finally pull a couple of championships (never mind that I could actually play it somewhat well in high school.)

Baseball and I have had a side thing going on for years. I never liked her current parents, but when pitchers and catchers report, I take notice, and I get excited, because we've got six or seven months, plus three of them all to ourselves. I blame myself sometimes for not being more interested, because I never really attached myself to a team except for hate reasons.

Basketball is the first real love, the first sport I grew up playing seriously -- but I guess I stopped paying attention when football took over, and basketball's regular season seemed to be less important before February. Her younger, college-going sister gets my attention back every year, and then she has me until that last game of the finals.

Hockey and I have had tough times. Again, we met when I was a teenager, and I was infatuated really quickly (she came down to Denver, whirling in from Canada). It was puppy love, but her folks bug me. They do everything in their power to keep us apart -- unnecessary additions to the family, even moving away for an entire year when I'd left for college. She's the crazy ex I never stopped loving, and always check on as often as I can, usually for the winding down of the regular season and the playoffs.

Mom thought soccer and I would hit it off, and we did when I was younger; she was fun, but she never captivated me, and I stuck with her for a while because the parents approved. But I moved on, and while I still find her attractive, we only go out when she comes for a visit every couple of years (World Cup, Olympics) or if I can make time to see her (trying to watch the Premiership on Saturdays, for example.)

How has your relationship with the sports you love watching gone?