3 Tricks to Help You Avoid Being the Obnoxious Sports Fan in the Room

We're taking a little break today from my usual marketing gab. I'd like to share a subject more intimate with you now, so you'll need to find a different source of material on marketing your CPA Websites.

Do you have trouble getting visitors to come over to your home on game day? Do your friends every now and then make an excuse to leave during an good game? You might actually be an obnoxious sports fan.

If you've ever had people leave the room while you've got the Super Bowl on the big screen TV- citing "inappropriate language" as the primary reason they moved to a different room of the house- you might very well be an obnoxious sports fan.

But fear not, avid watcher of competitive events! Heck, I used to drive my own wife out of the room. Since adopting these tips not only have the games become more fun, the post-game has gotten better too!

My poor wife. I'm a New Yorker and she's from Florida, so we often cheer for different teams. For years she has patiently dealt with me acting the fool and treating her like an opposing coach. Post game wrap-up has become much more fun since I started following these simple rules.

Mute It:
People have told me that the loudest they've ever heard me talk (yell) are the times that I'm angrily screaming and explaining to the Knicks how they should be playing the game. It occurred to me that, even though I'm angry about the players' poor performance (because certainly, I could do better), I'm YELLING because I want to be heard over the volume of the television. At a live game, it's not such a big deal. You're outside, lots of people are yelling and the sound isn't contained to a living room. I've found that lowering the volume of the game encourages me to also lower my voice. Though still angry, I am able to speak with my indoor voice to the players (who are no doubt listening to me through the TV monitor). This tends to attract less negative attention from those around me!

Bite it:
Your tongue, that is. Most athletes have potty mouths, but that doesn't mean you need to have one too. Sure, it might, make you feel better to tell Carmelo Anthony to shoot the bleepin' ball. But let's face it, he can't actually hear you. But the people you're watching the game with can hear you. Substitute words like, "heck" "flippin" and "gosh darn," if you must. If you're going to offend people with colorful language, you're best to just not talk (yell) at all.

Record It:
Not always the most practical option, especially if you're talking about the Super Bowl. But if you're watching a regular season game, and think you'll be able to find time to watch it alone before someone spoils the score, then record the game. Watch it on your time, holler and scream and curse all you want. Take the time during the live event to hang out with your friends who may not really want to watch a sporting event in the first place.

Whatever you do, make sure you're not compromising time with friends and family. You won't be able to change the outcome of the game no matter how loud you are or how astute your plays might be. But your temper could drive away or even alienate real people in your life that matter. If the players are choking yelling at them won't help. If the coaches are calling bad plays they wouldn't listen to you even if they could hear you. Try to relax and have fun watching the game. Let someone else be the obnoxious sports fan.

by Kenneth T. Marshall:
Kenny Marshall is a marketing consultant and former Officer of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country's most successful web companies oriented exclusively to CPA Websites.