How To Be A Football Cheerleader (Without Showing Extra Skin)

Football season is in full swing, which means if you're female and attached in any way to someone male, you're feeling a little lonely.

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Personally, I dig it. Love the college ball, and have finally made my foray into the NFL Fantasy Football madhouse this year as well. I wear the jersey, I don the colors in public places with other crazies, I yell at the tv.

So I thought I'd offer a few basics so maybe - just maybe - it gets a little more interesting for the ladies out there. And if not, at least you have a phrase to whip out and sound impressive.

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Basic #1: Downs
Each team has 4 tries to go 10 yards. If they don't make it, other team's ball. So when you hear something like "third and seven", that means they're on their third try and still have seven yards to go to make the ten happen. If the 10 yards are made within the 4 tries, First Down has been achieved. They then get 4 more tries to go 10 more yards, and so on.

Basic #2: Extra Point(s)
After a team scores a touchdown (six points), they have a choice to either kick a field goal for 1 point, or try to score another touchdown beginning from the two and a half yard line (which is the same place the ball is snapped from for the kicker if that road is taken). That's called a Two Point Conversion, and is much riskier, making both the point and glory payoffs higher. Here's the tricky part: Field goals can also be kicked apart from TD scoring to earn 3 points. This is usually chosen when a team is close to scoring a TD, but can't get it together. Rather than risk not making first down and turning over the ball with no points at all to show for it, they call in their kicker to try to get them 3 points before handing it over to their opponents.

Basic #3: Safeties
One last way to score points. Here if a team gets flattened in their own end zone, the team that did the steamrolling gets 2 points and possession of the ball.

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Of course there's an infinite amount of other things to decipher, but that should get you started. Games of any sort are much more fun to play or watch if you know what's going on.

 So tag along to the sports bar and if it still doesn't do it for you, at least there'll be snacks.

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