Angela Philips, Contributor

Take me out to the park. Some of you might recognise this, most probably don't. At baseball games in the United States, this is their anthem. At basketball games, during half-time, the camera hones in on people, and tradition has it that if you're captured on screen you kiss the person next to you. The atmosphere at sporting events is quite uplifting, and frankly, I've had some of the best dates ever at stadiums. In fact, it's quite a good place to meet men!

Now ladies, you might not have any interest in football or cricket, but the latter is simple to follow and the former is technically a very interesting game once you understand its lingo. Either way, the people who attend such events are usually the outdoors-type and will be up for something a little more exciting than the average guy.

These are the ones who are most likely to venture out of town, taking you to unusual and off-the-beaten-track places. On top of that, you'll end up getting to spend a lot more time with the man of the moment if you take a keen fascination in his pursuits.

golf

Do you realise that golf can take up a minimum of two hundred hours a year of a lad's time? And this is doubled or tripled if he's an avid golfer! It's not just about hitting a little white ball into a small hole, hundreds of feet away. There are minutes in between each stroke when reasonable conversation can be had, girls! Not that he'll want to have you tagging along in the cart while he bonds with his male mates, but if you wish to learn, I'm sure he'll be glad to teach you!

And a note for all you men out there: you believe us girls aren't into the rough and tumble of rugby and the like? You're wrong. It was my girlfriends and I who were the first in line every day over the Cricket World Cup. It is we who fight tooth and nail to get our hands on football tickets, and would be willing to fly 10 hours to watch an English Premiership match. You haven't noticed that women love to talk?

What better place to take a lady who has the gift of the gab, than a place she can cheer her lungs out?! You'll have her hooked in no time, and then you'll never have to worry about her complaining that you watch too much ESPN, FSC or Sportsmax. She'll be tuning in long before you!

real turn on

I was fortunate to attend the Jamaica versus Japan match in Lyon, France, back in 1998. I'd recently had a terrible heart-break and ended up going across for the game with a friend. For those few days I completely forgot my sorrows and let the exciting ambience wash through me. I hadn't noticed male attention for some years, due to the 'green-monster' relationship I had been in, so I was surprised to find that men found me attractive and intriguing. A Jamaican girl flying all this way to support her country? It was a real turn on, some of them said!

This attitude has only continued, and girlfriends of mine who were not brought up playing sports, like I was, have taken an interest in the social aspect of these activities. Take, for example, the 'Mound', or the Party Stand as it's now called, at Sabina Park. Half the ladies who attend have little interest in an 'over' or a 'no ball'. But they'll be jumping up and dancing to 'Rally round the West Indies' when Sarwan hits a 'six' or 'four'! An they might not understand the 'offside' rule in football, they'll certainly know when a goal has been scored by your team, and their enthusiasm for a win will be endearing to you.

Do I need to do any more convincing, lads? Just take her out to the ball game!

angelaphilipsja@hotmail.com