Love, sports: It’s all just a game

Have you ever heard of Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich? Chances are you haven’t, but these two lotharios pitched for the New York Yankees during the early 1970s. In 1972, the two men took their wives on a double date and jokingly broached the topic of “wife-swapping.” Shortly thereafter, with each other’s permission, the men begin to swap beds and sleep with each other’s wives. Before the start of the 1973 baseball season, the men switched lives. Not only did they exchange wives—they also swapped houses, cars, dogs, kids, and everything else. While Mike Kekich and Marilyn Peterson didn’t last long, Fritz Peterson and Susanne Kekich are still married to this day. While much of this story can probably be attributed to the “free love” movement of the era, I can’t help but ponder the connection between athletics and romantic trysts.

The story of those two free-loving Yankees reminded me of a column I wrote last year. The column analyzed the connection between athletics and romance. Some people may recall that the publishing of this column was a contentious issue. Due to some slightly (slightly!) provocative themes, the column was never published. The stifling of my creative voice eventually led the sports editor emeritus at the time, Jonathan August, to resign in my support. I had no plans to revisit the topic but my recent discovery of the Peterson and Kekich saga rekindled my interest in the bond between sports and romantic interactions.

So what are the similarities between the two? It is striking how many sports-related words have entered the English language in relation to courting the opposite sex—“strike-out,” “score,” and “home-run,” for example. In fact, all of the baseball bases are sexual references—first base, second base, etc. The fact that people use these words in relation to both sports and dating is no coincidence. When a person actively dates they are called a “player.” What exactly are they playing? The symbolism between sports and sex is subconsciously manifested in our verbal interactions.

I recently asked a friend if he would rather be able to snap his fingers, and instantly have any food he wanted, or if he would rather have the power to snap his fingers, and have any woman he desired. He chose the food option—also my choice. His rationale was that part of what makes meeting women fun is the actual game of meeting them. In a way, it’s recreation. When a person has romantic options, we call it “playing the field.” Even when an attempt to meet someone is unsuccessful, it can still be gratifying. It is similar to the feeling you have after you finish working out at the gym. Although your body is exhausted and you feel worse than you did when you went in, you ultimately know that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Sometimes, temporary discomfort makes you stronger in the long run.

Kanye West once rapped, “I wasn’t really running game, I was scrimmaging.” While this is a clever lyric, I am sure that many people can actually relate to the line. Sometimes, flirting and talking with the opposite sex is really like a scrimmage that prepares you for the official game. In this case, I would say the official game is that moment when you are trying to talk to a person that you actually have strong feelings for. If you don’t know how to interact with the opposite sex, then chances are your social awkwardness will make people uncomfortable. Just like with sports, practicing and scrimmaging helps you build the skills necessary to succeed come game time.

I recently read that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are making a film about Peterson and Kekich’s wife swap. I’m not surprised that these two renowned sports fans and ladies’ men would find interest in such a project.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.
sportseditors@columbiaspectator.com