The endless conundrum. Do guys like sporty girls? Do they like girly girls? Does it really matter? (Probably/not at all/who cares?) However, the media (and by that we mean the tripartite of Elite Daily, Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed), seem to frequently give somewhat mixed opinions on it – so we wanted to to challenge it.

I’m well aware that the reason I run, hit the gym and play a variety of sports isn’t to look good and keep guys happy.  Far from it. And Kate & I  have both been pretty vocal about our opinions on this –  anyone who has sat in a pub post rugby with the two of us will very much testify that we aren’t doing anything to keep anyone but ourselves happy – but it is an interesting question that I’m pretty sure men themselves don’t even understand. I mean I could make you well aware of what a lot of guys will immediately say about girls playing rugby, however, on the other hand, they will also wax lyrical about how annoying it is to have a girlfriend who doesn’t know or care about their chosen sport and moans when their weekends are consumed by it. HOW CAN YOU WIN? Simples. The answer is do it right back at them.

(Kate and I both met our boyfriends through playing rugby. They obviously don’t have too much of a problem with that)

We constructed a bunch of thoughts and I then asked for a male opinion – and he was all to happy to oblige.

“Things to consider when dating someone who is vaguely sporty”

• They will watch you do sport. They LOVE standing in the rain at the side of a rugby pitch and will even bring pom poms if you ask. You basically have a built in cheering squad who won’t complain about it.  They will also actually know what is going on..(unless you play an obscure sport)

I’ve been seriously injured since the 3rd game of the season so you have had no chance to prove this is actually true so I’m pretty sure you don’t actually like standing in the rain and just say it to warrant a response about how good a girlfriend you are – and if I actually asked you to bring poms poms I GUARANTEE your response would not be enthusiastic. But well done for trying.

Fairs. But I promise I will come and watch…

• You now also have to watch them do sport. Maybe with pom poms. And also learn that appropriate shouts and calls for a rugby match are less appropriate at a game of netball. Or at cross country (I feel bad because you have now watched me running 3 weekends in a row….)

Now this is always going to be a touchy subject! Why do you start at unsociable hours of the day unlike male sports (i.e. why do your races start at 9.30am?). And you do things like cross country running or triathlons where I have to travel HOURS to see you for a few seconds here and there over the course of a few hours and it’s probably raining ( what you don’t get told is the trick of bringing something to occupy yourself – however then you go down a rabbit hole of ‘why have you bought that with you you’re meant to be supporting me – so basically bring a book but hide it)

• They might very well be more competitive than you. Aggressively so.

Competitiveness is not something you want to get into with a female!!! You win Katie, obviously (eyeroll…)

• They may try and make you participate in sporting activities that you do not want to do under the guise of a date. For example, running dates, ‘I need to test out my new bike’ dates and ‘please come and watch me ride my pony aka I need someone to move jump poles for me so I don’t have to get off’ dates. These probably don’t come under the dictionary definition of a date.

Now this is a first – going on a running date because she needs to go running is not exactly what I would call a date. Especially not when she’s fitter than you. (Also , Katie, you chose to go on a bike ride when you had bought A BRAND NEW AERO BIKE and you gave me a full suspension mountain bike to keep up) These dates are all to make her feel better than you and emasculate you. I have gone to the extremes of being on crutches for the foreseeable future to return to normal date activities like going to the cinema and for dinner. 

Pfft. Quit moaning. Get faster 😉

• They tend to be covered in scrapes and bruises. And they don’t care.

Not exactly a great look when wearing skirts and dresses. Can also raise a question like where are you getting these bruises…no extracurricular activities I hope! 

(Good job I spend most of my time in running stuff really then isn’t it)

• They wear a lot of Lycra.

This could be a positive or negative, however 85% of your wardrobe is running stuff. Please go shopping.

• You will never have to argue about watching sport on the TV again!

Now this is true to some extent. Depending on what teams you both support and in our case completely different teams and also different nations. I mean, come on who supports Scotland!!! Let’s hope that our teams never play at the same time on different channels as this is a situation that will not have a positive outcome.

Different TVs, different rooms?

• You might end up arguing about which sport you watch on the TV.

Most of the time I’m pretty sure that we would not have to argue which sport to watch on TV. LUCKILY Katie is not a football fan as this would cause issues. We are more likely to argue about ‘someone’ choosing to put on ITVBe.

• You will have someone who understands supporting a team with a passion. Unfortunately, they may also enjoy supporting anyone playing against your team with a passion. Especially during times where ENGLAND DON’T GET OUT OF THE GROUP STAGES OF THE RWC.

Now, having someone who understands not just the passion in a team but also in the sport itself  is great and they will have shared the highs and the lows as teams go up and down in the league and also whether or not they go out in group stages or not (even if you look really close you won’t see Scotland on the trophy). Supporting any other team that plays against England is something that I’ve noticed more and more over the years for people who do not support England – yet England supporters are always kind towards the home nations! And now we’re back to 6 Nations and you still haven’t won a game yet…

(Saracens are still top of the table, Quins are not. However please ignore today’s game…)

• You can conspire against each other in fantasy rugby leagues. And make someone owe dinner when they lose.

A great way to keep the competitiveness in a relationship with out becoming physical.

(I am currently winning…FOR THE SECOND TIME)

• They get ready mysteriously quickly. You then learn that this is due to a certain incredible substance called dry shampoo. This often constitutes the entirety of our beauty routine. Does mean you can go places quicker though.

• They will probably complain about wearing heels.

A regular occurrence, get used to it!!!

• But probably have a cracking set of legs 😂

Damn right.

BOOM THANK YOU. I worked for these. (Not contradicting what I said earlier)

• They like to get physical.

LETS GET PHYSICAL, PHYSICAL.

Please stop lunging like Olivia N-J…it’s embarrassing.

• You now have someone who will listen to blow by blow accounts of every game, race, move or training session. You also now have to listen to someone else’s blow by blow account of the above

You will get really good at selective hearing. As will they. Just nod and agree at how good her splits are. Then buy a hot chocolate and keep her quiet.

• You have to remember race and tournament dates. You have to plan seeing each other around races, tournaments and league matches.

Which means you NEVER see them. Or end up following them round like a lost puppy in the rain in the middle of Richmond Park. On the plus side, we did met at a rugby tournament so maybe they aren’t all that bad…

• You are expected to learn a new sporting vocabulary and nod with enthusiasm at all times.

I mean what do you shout at someone when they are running? I am quickly running out of options…

• You become part motivational coach, part counsellor, part masseur.

STOP MOANING ABOUT BEING RUBBISH. You will learn soon that they do this for a confidence boost. That they potentially don’t always need…

• They eat a lot.

Good. Food is good.

• They will either make you eat incredibly healthily or pretend it is always cheat day.

• You have to listen to someone else complain about how much their body aches.

Just don’t respond. It’s self-inflicted. Basically like a hangover for which you give me no sympathy.

• You will manage to accidentally insult their ability or women in general. For example, I would avoid using the phrase ‘I’ve never met a girl who can catch like you’. You may think that is a compliment, but beware. You will not win this argument. I would stop trying.

No comment. I never did this. End of contribution.