What’s that you say? Fantasy football is just D&D for jocks? Good one. Here’s your T-shirt.

Now that we’ve dispensed with the obligatory joke, let’s talk about about actual geeks and actual jocks. Remember when those two categories were fundamentally opposed? It’s a familiar stereotype, but for me it always felt like more of a mythical 80’s trope that reality. As I think back to the long-long-ago of my own high school days (class of ’03), I can recall reading an article about these different subspecies of human. Bonus XP for anyone who can track down the correct issue of Inquest Gamer Magazine, but as memory serves the categories were “card-flopper,” “dice-chucker,” and “jock.” But what stuck with me—and what rang especially true even then—was the existence of a fourth category: “flopjock.” This was that rare breed who could somehow play Magic: The Gathering in the cafeteria at lunch before heading out for football practice in the afternoon. That was me.

I’ve never been a particularly talented athlete, but I always enjoyed my little league as a kid. There was football in middle school, wrestling in high school, and ultimate Frisbee in college (go Team Nawshus!). I’ve dabbled in the SCA and disc golf since then, but these days my sporting activity is mostly limited to major league baseball fandom. Laurel and I both follow the NL West, and we get no small amount of entertainment from our running rivalry when the San Francisco Giants (woo!) and Colorado Rockies (boo!) face off for a series. She still refuses to wear the Giants cap I bought her.

As for my geek credentials…. Well, you are reading this comic. More to the point though, I think we can all stand to learn a little something from those weird football fans. Being over-the-top, balls-out in love with your hobby is a good thing. Finding something you’re passionate about, holding it close, and geeking out about it with your buddies is straight up cool, no matter whether it involves dice or inflated pig skins. So my advice? Don’t worry about which tribe you belong to. Love what you love. That way lies happiness, +1 longswords, and all of the finest touchdown dances.

So what do you say, gang? Are there any other flopjocks out there? Are all those “other hobbies” of yours gaming related, or do you manage to keep your geekdom separate from more mainstream pursuits? Sound off in the comments with tales of your own favorite fandoms, and tell us how you manage to mix them with gaming!

 

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