I am an addict. I am an addict of football, writing and shoes. I've heard that the first steps to recovery are admitting that there is a problem.

I am a straight female. Maybe I am a tad bit of a "tomboy," but I am all woman. Now that I have established that, why do most women seem to loathe the thought of football season? I know that you men are probably wondering why I did not mention basketball, baseball, hockey, golf.........well, you get the point. I am using football because I am a football addict, not a fan or an enthusiast, but an addict. It can sometimes get in the way of things I should be doing (example: when Madden hits stores every August, I tend to ignore my phone unless it is someone calling to play me in a game of Madden).

I never understood how some of my female friends do not love the sport as much as myself and usually their significant others as well. I have made attempts to get them to understand the joy of SportsCenter, PTI, Around the Horn, 1st and Ten, etc., but many of them view my beloved ESPN as the enemy. Yes, we saw the game, but you know that SportCenter will highlight all of the best moments from around the league that maybe we did not catch that day or maybe we just want to see it again and again and again and one more time for thrills. What is wrong with that? Nothing.

Ladies, if you have an amazing guy, but when the end of April arrives and you feel that he is slipping away, put it into perspective. Most of our amazing men deal with us. I rarely admit this, but let's be honest. We tend to have our moments where our loving men just give in. Some of us have those shopping days (I do not, because shopping is a sport I have not been able to get into) where the guys just sit there and watch their precious time slowly crawl by. They deal with us. They accept us with all of our habits and quirks. We can be just as accepting with them.

Football is a year round habit. Just like the best players are keeping their bodies primed during the off-season, the fans (or addicts) pay attention to any and all coverage. During the off-season it is necessary to know what is going on in the draft, with trades, changing of the coaching staff, injuries, and yes, even the arrests are important to us. We want and need to know these things, especially if we play fantasy football; we have to know these things.

I have attempted to describe to some of my wonderful female friends that football is like their favorite soap opera. It never ends. You can always turn on the television and have a grasp of what is going on. It is action packed and full of drama. It is addictive.

I'm not sure of exactly how or when I got hooked. I believe that it was when I was very small because I had three male cousins and I was the only girl in the family until my sister made her grand entrance seven years later. I thought that I was my youngest cousin's shadow. I played with his G.I. Joe and Transformer action figures and I also remember playing my first game of Madden at his house on Sega Genesis when he and his friends left me to go to the gym.

Getting hooked on football has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. Along with writing and shoes, it is my passion in life. I can only suggest to the ladies who do not enjoy the sport to ask their significant other to assist them with playing fantasy football next season. It helps you to take an interest in each individual player, the teams, the injuries, etc because it will affect if you win or lose and we all love to win. If he seems reluctant at first or even if he laughs, just explain that you want to play in order to learn more about something that he seems to love so much.

I hope that all the women (and all people) in the world begin to love football. Through the triumphs and tragedies, joy and sorrow, fun times and times of disappointment, this game is here to stay, so if you can't be 'em.......ya'll know the rest.

*Note- I am not trivializing addiction. Addictions are very serious and in their worst forms can be deadly. I am in no way attempting to hurt or disrespect anyone by using the term, but as stated within the article, for me, football has gotten in the way of my everyday activities. If you or someone you know has a serious addiction, please seek help for that person. One love.