You might be surprised just how fun a basketball game date night can be! Here are tips for turning a basketball game into a fantastic date night.
I absolutely love basketball and would be happy having a basketball game date night every weekend! My husband likes it, he’s down for a game or two a season, and he’ll watch them on tv. Clearly, we have different interest levels, and we still know attending a basketball game makes a great date!
Tips for making a basketball game date night fun for both parties
1. Choose a team you love to cheer on
Even if you’re not as into the game, there’s something about routing for a home team thats so fun. Or grab tickets when the local team plays a team you loved growing up.
2. Make sure you both understand game premises
I mean be careful not to mansplain/woman-splain this and be condesending. But I remember my dad taking the time to explain football to me as a preteen and all of the sudden it was a lot more fun to watch! Just double check you both have at least the basics down so you can enjoy the competition.
3. Get Snacks
I know they’re absurdly priced, but plan on snacks at the game. Maybe it’s a hot dog, corn dog, or burger for dinner. Maybe just drinks or cotton candy. But game food makes the date feel a little more fun!
4. Don’t Forget Your Date
If one party gets really into the game, and the other sits less interested it can get awkward. Make sure you’re talking to your date while you enjoy watching together.
Those simple things can make all the difference!
And I’m so grateful for a husband willing to pay attention to things I love like going to an NBA game for a date night.
A few childhood facts/confessions about me:
– One of my biggest regrets in life is not trying out for the basketball team in junior high- I figured I was too short, and my 5-foot self had no idea I’d hit my 5’4 potential at 18.
– I shot hoops in my backyard every bored Sunday when we didn’t have snow growing up
– And I watched every single playoffs game the Utah Jazz were involved in from age 12 to 18
– It took me about a year to forgive my sister for graduating high school the same night John Stockton made his famous 3-point shot at the buzzer that sent the Jazz to their first MBA finals. My two older brothers and I couldn’t believe we were listening to over 1,000 names being read while this was happening. If my sister is reading this, it’s okay, we all forgave you by our 20’s!
Phew, that felt good. All my I-loved-basketball-so-much-it-hurt secrets are now off my chest. While growing up in Utah I seriously couldn’t get enough of this game. And guess what, I don’t tell many people about my love because it just never quite translated when I moved to AZ. I didn’t find the same love for new teams when I moved here years ago, and I kind of lost touch with the old. Just this last year I opened up to Jacob what a big deal basketball games were to me growing up.
And guess what, he listened.
One of my best surprises at Christmas were tickets to see the Jazz play the Suns. What an amazing husband I have to listen to my childhood tales and come up with such a wonderful date tailored to me!
I figured I should love The Suns, and I still have feelings for The Jazz, so this game was going to be great no matter what the outcome was!
And then at half time Jacob took a coupon on his chair down to the office it indicated, he braced himself for an up-sell to buy tickets. He came back with a Suns hat and tickets to the lower section. I was stoked!
I could see every foul happen- we were that close!
And in the end it was pretty amazing to see my childhood sweetheart win.
Thank you Jacob for being such a great listener and giving me such a
fun Christmas present!
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