Most football fans start counting down the days to football season as soon as the Super Bowl ends. For many, being a football fan is not just about the game or the team, it's about the social aspects of watching the game -- the get-togethers, the food, the beverages -- and for some, the hot tub makes all the difference.

Not everyone can afford to attend games. Even season ticket holders have to watch away games at home. A football-watching get-together that takes place in a hot tub sets your party apart from the others. Long associated with the cold and snowy months of fall and winter, football fans have always stood up to the elements. Scan the crowds of any college or professional football game and you're bound to see more than just one or two bare-chested fans laughing in the face of Mother Nature.

Your crowd can enjoy the game from the comfort and warmth of a hot tub situated on your porch or patio. The snow can be mounded into six-foot snow drafts all around and you will be warm and relaxed in the swirling waters of your hot tub. With game on the big screen, a cooler full of refreshments nearby and some tailgate foods within easy reach, your hot tub football gathering can easily become a weekly tradition during football season. Hot tub chemicals help keep your unit clean for use week after week.

One of the reasons the hot tub is so appealing during the winter is because it balances the temperature scales. It is usually very cold outdoors in the winter, too cold to be outside in your swimsuit. The warmth of the water protects the body from the frigid temperatures; it allows bathers to be a little daring in a safe way.

That same water warmth also relaxes people. After along week at work, a few hours spent with friends in front of a football game and immersed in the soothing waters of a hot tub can be the perfect end to the week. Regular use of your hot tub during football season gives you a special reason to keep it ready for guests whenever you are ready to have them.