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Football Addiction – Am I Addicted to Football?


Most people are passionate about a particular subject or have a time-consuming hobby. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm may in some individual cases develop into extreme fanaticism which may become a tough test of the patience and loyalty of others.

Football players legs close shot with ballImage: Lario Tus (Shutterstock)

Soccerwidow has put together a list of 20 questions which may help you decide whether you are perhaps a little too ‘involved’ in your fascination with football.

Please count how many of the following questions you answer with a “yes”, and enter this number in the poll at the end of the article (allocate half a “yes” where you feel the statement is only partially correct).

The first 10 questions

  1. In European Championship and World Cup years you’re on the verge of losing your job because you always heavily insist on four weeks’ holidays not to miss a game, or take fake ‘sick days’ in order to watch games during these periods.
  2. Every year during the Winter mid-season break or the break between seasons you feel distracted, aggressive or depressed. To avoid withdrawal symptoms, you watch games you have recorded from previous seasons.
  3. You can state names, (with or without dates of birth!), clubs and the club location of footballers in the German, English, Spanish and Italian leagues by heart, but you have no idea what your neighbour’s names are.
  4. Now and again perhaps you miss an important personal or work-related appointment, but you never forget football fixture dates.
  5. You feel restless and disturbed if on football days your partner has invited friends or family to your house who are not interested in the beautiful game and protocol dictates that the TV is switched off.
  6. You have had numerous arguments with your partner because he/she accused you of spending too much time on football.
  7. Your best friends are those with whom you can talk on the subject of football. Conversations, no matter how they started, often develop into football related chat.
  8. You have none or at least very few ‘real’ friends, people you would trust entirely. Your friends are more ‘mates’, but all of them are interested in football.
  9. It is hard for you to remember your wife’s birthday or your wedding anniversary, and sometimes you also forget other important events in your personal life calendar, but you certainly know all the match results (half-time, full-time, scorers, goal times, et cetera) of your team. Probably of most of the league too, and perhaps in previous years also.
  10. In your spare time, e.g. weekends, evenings, and in the car, you have radio commentary broadcasts of football matches on in the background, even if it’s not your team playing. You feel disturbed and misunderstood when your partner asks you to put on your headphones, or to change the channel.

Continue to the next (and last) 10 questions


Last Update: 12 March 2016

Categories:Obsession Responsible Gambling



6 Responses to “Football Addiction – Am I Addicted to Football?”

  1. 22 October 2015 at 5:27 pm #

    But I just find the attraction of football to be addictive. It’s been there all my life and it’s still there.

  2. 20 February 2014 at 9:01 pm #

    18/20 yep I am properly addicted and IMO it is an addiction stronger than gambling, sex, Heroin/Crack. You name it being addicted to a sport is a habit that will last a lifetime.

  3. 15 June 2013 at 4:19 pm #

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  5. 5 June 2013 at 7:42 am #

    13/20 yes. but i’m not a football fan,i addictive because i’m a gambler. Three years, i spend too much time for a lot of researches, sometimes i found a ” Great Formula ” to beat the bookie. Unfortunately, next weeks it gets lose, very dissapointed, I said “Why, why it happens to me? i try so hard, i don’t understand.
    So, I need an advice and find your website.
    Can you teach me how to become a professional gambler?

    Tao.Phan
    From Vietnam!
    ps: Im not good at english.

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