Dating a Degenerate
Our author chose to remain anonymous but clearly you can tell she speaks from firsthand experience after being inspired by this piece. The female psyche is something men don’t often understand but when a girl elects to willingly date (or marry) a degenerate, it gives the rest of us hope and we should cherish her viewpoint.
From the outside looking in my life seems pretty normal; great fiancé , healthy baby, nice car, expensive jewelry, beautiful purses and clothes…But those things come with a price; the stress of dating a professional handicapper. Most girls know that guys love sports so they put up with a football game once a week or the occasional baseball/basketball game as the schedule dictates. Boy do they have it easier than me! My schedule (and every daily activity) revolves around sports seasons and more importantly the precise time lines come out.
At times it gets beyond aggravating dating a professional; especially when you have to plan your wedding around the most important time of the year, FOOTBALL SEASON!!! Even though my life is constantly filled with craziness I’ve learned ways to “cope.” Rather then complain about his non stop schedule and phone calls, I’ve forced him to include me in his work through teaching so I can help him prep for upcoming sports seasons. Whether it be creating excel sheets, reading articles on specific teams, or more recently actually placing bets when the games of the year came out in June, I’m learning to be supportive of his occupation.
Not many girls would be able to stick around this lifestyle once the initial excitement and romance is gone. You come to realize that even though this guy is his own boss, his phone dings incessantly and there are always a million people around him. Not only that, there are a lot of times he won’t be able to go to a family party or out on a Saturday in November because Oregon is playing Stanford (may as well be South Alabama vs UL Monroe but you get the gist)!! I’ll be honest; for me its his passion and love of what he does that keeps me from leaving.
When people find out what my fiancé does initial reactions are always the same, “aren’t you scared?” “What if he gambles away all your money?” “Why would you date someone who does that??” My answer every time is always the same, you can’t help who you fall in love with and its not the worst thing to have him home everyday watching our son grow up. Of course I don’t mind the perks of his winnings either!! Being around this handicapping world for the past 5 years I’ve definitely picked up a few things here and there. Other guys, especially his friends, find it shocking that i can chime in and know what the line is on a game quicker then most men in the room who are just normal sports fans. I always figured that if i immersed myself in his passion and world, it would mean more time I got to spend with him!!!
My advice to a girl who is dating a handicapper is this
(1) Know from the beginning you’re not dating someone who works a 9-5 so don’t expect that lifestyle
(2) When you see he’s starting to get annoyed at a game, don’t add any stress and bug him about anything stupid or trivial.
(3) The more you support them….THE MORE PRESENTS YOU GET!!! (no honestly the more you support them the more love and respect you get in return). A man should appreciate your ability to understand the demands of his lifestyle.
Now to all the guys out there, I have some advice for you as well:
(1) Make time even if it’s a half hour a day to put your phone down and sit down and talk to your girlfriend.
(2) Try to have a date night at least once a week to make her feel special and important.
(3) Every now and then let her know how much you love and appreciate her support because at the end of the day presents are nice, but your girl will want the emotional support that can often be lacking during busy season
I like to think I’m just a normal girl in a normal relationship with a guy, but yea i guess i could see how someone on the outside looking in would say….you’re definitely dating a degenerate!!
