This is embarrassing. Two posts in a row about ESPN. There is something wrong with me. It’s true, since I’ve married Dave I’m picking up more of his…habits. No, I’m not talking about leaving the cupboards and drawers open or being plagued with unhealthy cravings for Cheezits. I’m talking about things like his humor, taste in Asian Cuisine, and occasionally WANTING to watch football (“foot….game….” anyone?).
Now this was done with great trickery (tis the season after all!) and a little bit of manipulation. You see, Dave’s family does a “College Pick ‘Em” online with ESPN. For those ignorant of this “program”, you form a group with your family and friends and vote on ten games each week on who you think will win, given the alternating teams around the nation. The trick is you also have to place your “picks” in order of confidence (10 being the highest amount of confidence, 1 being the lowest).
Lame right?
Well, not anymore.
See Dave wanted me to do this and I tried to explain YET AGAIN how I’m just really not that into football. I’ll cheer for BYU (although my cougar pride has been wounded more than once this season) but asking me to willing participate in caring about national college football is an entirely different story.
So he bribed me.
Only I didn’t know it!
He told me that his Dad was taking the winner of he College pick ‘em out to dinner, anywhere they wanted to eat. Well, that caught my attention. Cheesecake Factory is too expensive for a regular date night on a college budget. But, if I happened to win….
Who was I kidding. Me? Win? When the majority of the participants in our group as AVID national football fans? I consented anyway. I had no idea what I was doing-or what I had gotten into.
And so for the past 8 weeks I have faithfully submitted my picks. Each week falling further and further into the vortex of ESPN and national college football. Why you ask? Well, I started winning. Naturally when you start to win at ANYTHING, you start to care. I held that number 2 spot for a good 4 weeks, neck in neck with the person in number one (No, it’s not Dave. He’s having a rough season…). Two weeks ago I slipped to number 3, and there I remain, tailing my father-in-law by ONE point.
Here is the irony: There is no “dinner of your choice” prize.
Dave made that up in order to bribe me into playing! He guiltily confessed two weeks ago, but I was so far gone, so “involved”, so attached to the game, that after I recovered from the shock of his lie I still couldn’t pull myself away.
And that why you can find me every Saturday night glued to www.epsn.com as the results come in-waiting, hoping, biting my nails, screaming, That’s why if I go out on Saturday nights I’m just as eager to get placed at a table where I can see ESPN as Dave is. That’s why.
P.S. Dave felt bad about the false bribery and told me that if I won, HE would still take me to a restaurant of my choice…
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