Relationships are about lines — drawing lines, crossing lines and stepping outside of lines. Some lines are invisible, such as the line that forbids you from hitting on your professor. Others are visible, such as the line on a basketball court that you have to keep your feet behind for a free throw to count. But when it comes to playing sports with our significant others, we must avoid crossing all sorts of lines, visible and invisible, to maintain a happy relationship.

When drawing lines, there is the issue of clothing. When we’re working out alone, throwing on shirts from high school with pit stains and a pair of unflattering shorts is acceptable. Such attire is not acceptable when we’re working out to impress our significant other, let alone that cute personal trainer.

Obviously, us girls would love to run around in only a sports bra like all hot girls do in the movies, but the problem is that the reason we’re at the gym in the first place is to get our bellies into sports bra-running shape. The gym is where guys have it easy with fashion because their clothes and shoes for class, the bars and bed so often double as proper gym attire.

Then there is the issue of competition. Sure, we’re all used to coed competition (playing pong on the weekends can get incredibly intense), but playing a sport like tennis against your boy toy is quite different. The inclusion of alcohol means that, technically, everyone wins. They might not even remember the victor in the morning, anyway. In tennis, and in most other sober sports, there is a clear-cut winner.

So what do we do? Do we let our opponent (and lover) win the match? We’ll both look pathetic if the other decided to let us win, too. Should we just play with the skills we acquired at the yacht club and let them win in the shower later instead? There is just no right answer, but ladies, if you want to let your man keep his dignity, maybe it’s best to just bow out gracefully, even if you’re prepared to beat him.

Running with a buddy has been proven to do a handful of good things for a runner, such as provide motivation to run more frequently and much faster. But if your running friend is your girlfriend or boyfriend, a handful of not-so-good things might arise. Like the issue of whether to chat and run, listen to music and run, or just run, run, run. And then there’s the issue of pace. The chances of you sharing the same pace with your buddy are slim.

With such a wide array of sports out there, it is possible to choose a good couple-appropriate activity. Golf is a decent choice because one of you can just sit in the cart and tan the whole time. Beach volleyball is another idea, if you have the bikini body of an Olympic gold medalist and your man is Tom Cruise’s character Maverick from ‘Top Gun.’

But bowling is the bomb. No sports bras, fitness, endurance or even intelligence are required. And there’s booze, low lighting and disco music. Beats Frisbee.

Physicality is a main component in creating and maintaining a relationship. So exercising is a great way to keep things hot and interesting. Whether you’re into bowling, tennis or running, getting out and staying active is good. But staying in bed sometimes burns more calories than any sport could.

Talia Pollock is a junior television, radio and film major and the relationship columnist. Her column appears every Tuesday and she can be reached at tpollock@syr.edu.

Published on April 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm