Marital ties in the time of World Cup

Male football fans' psychology is interesting. Men emphasize their right to be called "true fans" and refuse to accept that women too can watch soccer with total dedication and interest. At the same time, they complain that their wives or girlfriends don't understand soccer and try to "teach" them the nuances of the game.

This contradictory psychology reflects men's attitude toward the game: they regard football as a masculine sport. Men tend to think that soccer is a men's game that women don't understand, and they need to confirm their exclusive right over it by mocking women's ignorance about the game.

Watching soccer, contrary to what many men believe, does not require special cognitive or thinking ability, and there's no reason why women can't understand it. It is true that more men than women enjoy the passion and aggression associated with a physical contact sport like soccer, but it is also true that quite a number of women not only watch the game but also love playing it. Those who still doubt Chinese women's knowledge about and interest in soccer should remember that the Chinese national women's team has been the runners-up both in the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games. So, people accusing women of watching handsome male football players, beware!

There is, therefore, little reason to assume that the World Cup jeopardizes marital relations. And if it does, there are chances that the causes had been dormant and the World Cup only brought them the surface. There has to be something inherently wrong with a marital relationship that can be shaken (let alone broken) by a month of soccer. Women should dig deep into their marital relationship before blaming the World Cup for their predicament, and men should reflect on their pre-World Cup actions to find out why a soccer-crazy month forced their wives to reach a breaking point.

The author is a psychological consultant and writer.