Ah. Women and sports. While many women enjoy sports there are just as many of them who do not enjoy watching every baseball, football, basketball, hockey and sports event around.

Ah. Vacations. Plenty of time to get to know each other while getting to know a new city.

Take vacation and combine it with a sporting event, and that's the recipe for any sports-loving guy.

For some, a new sports stadium or arena is like Christmas, Hannakah, Kwanza, or whatever late-year holiday is most celebrated.

For others, a sports stadium experience is worse than a trip to the dentist or dare it be said, the OBGYN.

But on vacation, there can be a happy medium met, but guys--and gals--it may take some work.

Guys, do you love your sports, but you're afraid to ask your gal to attend a sports event while on vacation?

You may first want to follow some steps:

1). Before you get your gal to see your favorite team on the road, it would be good to get her to watch it with you on TV. Yes. This may mean that she may ask you questions (this is good) that you really may not be used to answering.

Example: "So the wide receiver is the one who catches the ball, right?"

Refrain from any smart comments you may give to your fellow guy pals. She's trying to learn. And you need to teach her. Any negativity or wincing in this situation will not help your cause.

Maybe she hates sports because she never understood the rules or what was involved. Take the time to teach her the ins and outs of the sport, the rules, some of the top players, and things like that.

Does she think Robbie Gould (or Peyton Manning) of the Chicago Bears (or Indianpolis Colts) is a stud? Buy her a Robbie Gould (or Peyton Manning) jersey (you love her) or a shirt jersey (you like her). This way she can wear it while she watches the game with you.

2). In many cases, by now she'll dig her favorite player and her favorite team, hey, her favorite team may not be YOUR favorite team, but it happens. Not only does she knows the game, but she likes to watch it with you. You see, many women get mad at men and their sports, but often, many guys take the, "I'm going to go watch the game with my buddies" route, while leaving their gal at home. Alone. With the dog.

Are tickets available to a game of your favorite team? Surprise her one day with a pair of tickets so you and her can hit up a local game. Most likely she'll enjoy the excitement of a live game and thrills of a crazy audience.

She may be hooked.

3). If you're really brave, you can, at some point, attempt to convice her to join a free fantasy sports league with you. This is probably the best way to get her to know all of the other top players...and then she may want to watch all of the other games, too. Don't think she'd want a team of her own? Let her view your team. Proceed with caution with this one, as many women find fantasy sports to be well, nerdy. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

4). So now she's kicking around ideas for an upcoming vacation. In most cases, she'll want to go somewhere romantic, warm, and sunny.

That's fine.

When it's 10 degrees in Chicago, it's a lot warmer in California, Florida, and many of the other popular warm weather desitnations. So go with that.

Don't pull a Danny Tanner ("Full House" reference, please follow along) and try to control every full second of the vacation.

Make sure to plan a few romantic events such as a sunset boat ride, a bike ride through the park, or something of that nature. Romantic doesn't necessarily mean expensive either. Remember this is a vacation. You're away from work. And home. Have fun. Enjoy life.

But, you'll want to work in a local sports event. Grab tickets for the both of you well in advance, before you leave for the trip. And don't make this one a surprise. This way you can get tickets at face value. Talk about it. Tell her that you both enjoyed seeing your local team LIVE, and that you'd both enjoy getting to check out a new stadium or arena while on the road. In most cases, it will only take three or four hours out of your vacation time. Try to plan this trip far in advance and attempt to purchase tickets when they go on sale to the general public which usually happens in January, February, and March prior to the beginning of a given season for baseball; June, July, and August for football, basketball, and hockey.

That way you can get your fill of sports, while still both doing plenty of romantic things while on vacation.

As cheese-laden as sports cliches go, it's a win-win.

What Do You Think?

Do any of you out there have any stories of mixing sports with romance?

P.S. The Sports World Knows NO Boundries

By the way, you can substitute "him" and "her" in this article to reflect your current living situation. There are women out there with guys who dislike sports. It's a rare breed. But some have been spotted across the nation. In the same vein, there are many men with men who don't like sports, and many women with women who don't like sports.

The sports world knows no gender or sexual preference.