It’s almost a sacrilege in America not to be a lover of sports. I’ve never really been a fan of sports, and I tried for a long time to hide that shame.

I’d sit around with my friends pretending to be interested in the game. “Go Giants!” or, “Whoa, did you see that tackle? That was insane!”

Sure, the games can get pretty heated, and it can be fun to watch once in a while, but it’s not my thing and I’ve finally learned I don’t have to pretend that it is.

I liked to play along with being devoted to a team because I thought it made me part of what everyone else cared about too. Hell, I even bought a pair of San Francisco Giants themed underwear.

I wanted guys to think I was cool, maybe even hotter, because I showed a true interest in sports. I’d watch the game on my mini-TV at the gym so dudes passing by would think, “Nice, that chick is probably pretty cool.”

I’d shout out “Kobe!” every time I shot a wad of paper into a basket. Kobe? That just goes to show how much I know about sports right there.

I tried to fake it till I made it, but I never reached that point of really being a sports fan.

The thing is, pretending to like sports isn’t cool. No one really cares if you do or you don’t.

No true sports fan really cares if a girl likes sports or not. And guys, I’m pretty sure no one’s going to judge if it’s not your thing either.

I’ll check the score when major games are going on, but I don’t go out of my way to watch them anymore.

It’s fun to get together and drink a couple beers while the game is on. And I can’t lie, sports can be pretty entertaining when the game is a close one.

But when I heard the cheers and cries of excitement as the Giants won this year’s World Series, I felt completely content in my living room watching the remaining 30 minutes of Django Unchained.

Julianna Eveland can be reached at [email protected] or @janeca12 on Twitter.