Yes it can. Football brings thousands of couples together every week during football season for at least 3 hours. If the time is utilized effectively, it can result in some quality time that will feed both of your love languages, resulting in a better marriage. It is all about how you take your partner’s interest in Football. However, if you and your partner have significantly different levels of interest in football, the season can bring you together on a deeper level or create some tension.  Football season can bring out the ugliness in your relationship. With that being said, I’ve been thinking of some similarities between football and marriage. Surprisingly, there are many.

1. Your difference around this issue (football) can be an exciting opportunity to get to know each other better. Discover what about football excites the other and makes them tick.
2. The struggle to change someone is often even more exhausting than the issue itself. Trying to convince your partner that football doesn’t or shouldn’t matter will not work. The end result of your efforts will likely be increased anger and resentment. Instead, try accepting their fandom as one of many things that make your partner who they are, not a problem that needs to be fixed
3. You are both expected to be part of a “team.” You and your partner have the glory positions (quarterback, wide receiver, etc). Your children, other relatives and supports make up the rest of the team. Those with a singular “I’m in this for myself” mindset shouldn’t play football or be in a long-term relationship.
4. Commitment is vital! If you’re not committed, you are going to get cut. If you’re not fully committed to giving it all you have, then don’t commit yourself to a relationship. Relationships (unlike football) are not a game. It’s for grown-ups who are willing to do what it takes to make it work.
5. You’re out to win. If you don’t think you can do what it takes to help your team to win, or you aren’t willing to build your skills so you “win” together, then don’t even enter into either football or a long-term relationship.
6. Win or lose, it happens as a team. In football, the whole team goes down if you lose the game. In a somewhat similar way, within a better marriage, if one spouse loses, you both lose. How does it benefit your marriage if one of you “wins” at the expense of your marriage partner losing? Even in marriage, if one loses, you both lose. The goal needs to be to strive to find “win/win” solutions for the both of you.
7. You need to believe you CAN win as a team. Think about the top 10 most popular football teams. A defeatist attitude will lead to defeat, almost certainly. Trust in your coach (in marriage, it would be God who is to be your “coach”), look to your other teammate(s) to help you, and don’t give up.
8. Take the good skills you have, that makes you a good teammate, and keep working to improve yourself so you’re an even better teammate. Apply yourself to learning what is needed. It’s those that stop doing this, or won’t apply themselves for whatever reason, that are in trouble.
9. This is not about tackling each other. It’s important to always keep in mind that you’re on the same team. Don’t fight each other; fight the outsiders who want to take you down. Purpose to work together. You may not always think alike, but you can think together. And you can build togetherness.
10. Team spirit is important! It’s like the old saying, “it’s one for all and all for one.”
11. It’s important to keep the passion. Improve marriage intimacy to build passion. That’s true in football, as well as in marriage. In football, we often hear of teams losing because they just “lost their passion.” They didn’t give it their all. They lost the spirit. They may have started the season out with a lot of enthusiasm, but somewhere along the line, they allowed themselves to lose the vision of why they began playing the game in the first place —to win.
12. Do not avoid/shut your partner out during football season. Pay attention: Attention really is one of the most basic forms of love. When partners find their attention drifting away from each other, the relationship may be in trouble. It makes sense then, that partners often feel neglected when their significant other shifts a significant portion of their attention to football. It can go beyond annoying to actually being hurtful. Remember not to let your love of the game get in the way of the love for your partner.
13. If your team does not win’s do not take it out on your partner: Find ways to calm yourself down and hit the reset button so you can be present with your partner. Remember, over-doing it with tailgating and alcohol will only make this harder. Add excess alcohol to the emotions of a football game, and you can quickly have a relationship disaster on your hands. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, making hurtful statements and even physical violence more likely. Make it your responsibility not to let your negative emotions contaminate otherwise quality time.
    

    Football Fans Guide to a Better Marriage

14. Communicate the real issue if you are not a football fan: Your partner’s focus on football could be upsetting for a variety of reasons, like lack of quality time or even increased spending. Regardless, the key is communicating in a direct and constructive manner. Rather than attack football itself or your partner, explain specifically how you are feeling and being affected. One way to do that is to remember to be assertive rather than aggressive.   There is a huge difference between saying “Will you quit staring at the TV? All you care about is football!” (criticism) versus “I’m disappointed you’ve spent most of the day watching football. I was really looking forward to catching up with you today” (assertive).  Both approaches are bids for attention, but the former is likely to be seen as an attack, cause defensiveness, and drive your partner away. The latter shows a more vulnerable side which is more likely to bring your partner nearer.
15. Knowing and following the Playbook is vital! In football, it’s the playbook, which has it laid out for you, the important things you need to know. If you don’t know and apply what’s in the playbook, you’ll most likely lose.
16. In your relationship, it’s your Bible that will help you to know how to best live together as a great team. The principles for loving each other are the principles for living, which are there for guidance throughout the Bible. It provides all the secrets of a good marriage. It’s vital to know what’s in it and APPLY what you learn!
17. Sometimes someone gets hurt. That’s what happens in life. And sometimes, you can even get hurt by your “teammate” accidentally… hopefully, accidentally. If it isn’t by accident, you definitely need to work all the more on that one. A good “huddle” may be required, and a whole lot of apologizing and getting back together as teammates, rather than opponents.
18. It’s not uncommon to get tackled. As a matter of fact, it should be expected. In football, that’s what the other team tries to do —to trip you up and make you fall so you can’t get to the goal.
19. In marriage, life often throws the tackles (lead by the enemy of our faith,). We’re told there will be “troubles” in relationships, as well as “trials and tribulations”.  It’s what we do with those troubles, when we’re tackled by life that will make all the difference in the world.
20. Sometimes a good “huddle” is important.If you aren’t working together as you should, or you’re up against a huge obstacle, it’s to your advantage and sometimes it’s vitally important to get together and figure it out —who is to do what to improve the situation.
21. You each have different talents, that combined together, can help you to be a great team. It’s important that you discover what they are, you combine them together, and use them intentionally.

Football fans, what can we take away from football season? This is the best marriage advice I can give. These 21 tips for a happy marriage, will take you to the next level. Thank about the scenarios described in this post. These are not only tips these are christian marriage tips for the sports fanatics.