History Main / SportsWidow

Not to be confused with Kathleen Chapman, whose husband [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Chapman Ray Chapman]] of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Cleveland Indians]] was fatally injured in 1920 when a pitch struck him on the head (in the days before batting helmets).

The term is usually written as sport-specific - "football widow", for example. And can be extended to any fanatical hobby that the spouse doesn't share, such as "gaming widow" for TabletopGames or "[=WoW=] widow" for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. And this behavior isn't exclusive to men, either- a [[SoapWithinAShow soap-opera-loving]] Housewife may be more invested in the relationships between soap opera characters than her relationship with her husband, and a YaoiFangirl may be more invested in [[MostFanficWritersAreGirls reading or writing sexual fanfiction]] than [[ComeBackToBedHoney actually having sex with her boyfriend]].

The term is usually written as sport-specific - "football widow", for example. And can be extended to any fanatical hobby that the spouse doesn't share, such as "gaming widow" for TabletopGames or "[=WoW=] widow" for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. And this behavior isn't exclusive to men, either- a DaytimeDramaQueen may be more invested in the relationships between soap opera characters than her relationship with her husband, and a YaoiFangirl may be more invested in [[MostFanficWritersAreGirls reading or writing sexual fanfiction]] than [[ComeBackToBedHoney actually having sex with her boyfriend]].

The term is usually written as sport-specific - "football widow", for example. And can be extended to any fanatical hobby that the spouse doesn't share, such as "gaming widow" for TabletopGames or "[=WoW=] widow" for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.

** A few years later, their niece Rebecka Smith-Rhodes meets a pleasant and engaging guy who she really likes. But ''his'' Saturday afternoons - and Sundays - and the occassional five days in the week - are devoted to [[UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}} Crockett]]. She realises where a lot of ''her'' summer Saturdays [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12650047/42/Strandpiel are going to be spent]]. With the added kicker that the Morpork Crockett Club (M.C.C.) rules have a lengthy sub-section about the proper role of the distaff side in the genteel sport of Crockett. Which is to uncomplainingly be present in the pavilion to prepare and serve cake and sandwiches. And to pour the tea. To her great surprise, Bekki finds herself doing this. As a Witch, this irritates her somewhat.

->"The other six months out of every year\\
"We are hardly ever seen apart\\
"But then the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Washington Senators]] take over my place in his heart\\
"Six months out of every year"

-->--'''[[Theatre/DamnYankees Meg]]''', "Six Months out of Every Year"

A man's life stops when his team is playing. The children could be {{running with scissors}} or playing with matches, but the father is completely oblivious to anything but whether the umpire's call is fair (and whether the mother can get him a beer in time). The girlfriend could walk in front of the TV in the most {{stripperiffic}} lingerie known to man, but all the guy wants is for her to get out of the way so he can see the instant replay of the game-winning one-handed catch.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMartianWay": Dora Swenson complains to her husband that she hates the way he would spend months away from home, wishing that he would find employment in any other job, as long as it was on Mars, so that they could actually live together and he would be present to help her raise their son, Peter.
-->"You can make a decent, honorable living right here on Mars, just like everybody else. I'm the only one in this apartment house that's a Scavenger widow. That's what I am- a widow. I'm worse than a widow, because if I were a widow, I'd at least have a chance to marry someone else-"

* Debra Barone in ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' is a ''professional'' sports widow; husband Ray is a staff sports writer for a newspaper and is paid to go to sports events, watch them at home on newspaper-funded cable TV, and to write about them afterwards. He also plays a lot of golf.

* ''Series/HomeImprovement'': Jill knew that Tim was basically useless when the Detroit Lions were playing.