As a lover of all sports, the idea of dating a female athlete has always been easy to take to.
There's just something about spending time with someone you hope to grow to love, while she already loves something you do, too.
And the best part is finding out she's played a sport after you get to know her. It's like a bonus on top of everything else that attracted you to her in the first place.
With that said, there's definitely a specific type of athlete that has become a personal favorite. Simply put, dating a girl who plays soccer is just great, particularly for these 10 reasons:
She definitely has something to teach you.
The male and female "versions" of each sport have their own features making them intense. Many professional women basketball players compete year-round while most men dunk over each other every night.
They're all fierce in their own ways, but soccer is one of the few sports that looks identical no matter who's on the field.
That means there's a very legitimate possibility your girl might flat-out be better than you, in which case she'll be able to critique your game and maybe even teach you a thing or two.
You already love her casual look.
Ever heard your boy complain about how the girl he met on a Friday night looks totally different on a Saturday morning? With soccer girls, it's pretty much the opposite.
Let's face it, "sweatpants, hair tied, chillin' with no makeup on" (and with a sweatshirt, and with trainers, while warming up before a game) is probably the point at which you fell in love with her, anyway.
When she dresses up, you're just that much more amazed.
There's just something about her figure.
Somewhere between gaining hips strong enough to shield the ball and legs fit enough to last 90 timeout-less game minutes, these girls gained a shape you can't get enough of.
Her man crushes are low-key yours, too.
Listen, if a guy can score 30 goals a season for my team, pull off an Elastico, hit a Rabona and/or in any way approach a level of coolness on and off the field close to that of Cristiano Ronaldo, there's a real chance I might be obsessed with him, too. Straight up.
She won't criticize you for bumming it on Saturdays.
Between the Chelsea game in the morning, the Madrid game at lunchtime and the Milan match in the afternoon, there's always the temptation to do nothing but sit in front of your TV and watch the beautiful game on the weekend.
Your best chance of doing that in peace is obviously getting with someone who's just as cool with doing the same thing.
She doesn't think your vacation plans are ridiculous.
Most people might not understand the idea of visiting a soccer tournament for an ideal vacation, but not these girls.
Sure, that trip to an all-inclusive island resort is OK, but traveling to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic final sounds even better.
Of course, the girls who are really into soccer will drool with you over the prospect of traveling through France for Euro 2016.
Yup, definitely much better than a Carnival cruise.
You'll never be a part of her worst argument.
Between all the inevitable arguments with her teammates about who played whom onside, who should've tracked that runner and why her wide midfielder should look up more, that petty dispute about why you keep leaving the toilet seat up is far from her biggest issue.
She's not high-maintenance.
She might have an appetite for the more glamorous things in life, obviously, but she isn't likely to cling to those things or the love for those things as if her life depended on 'em.
And that's exactly what you'd expect from a girl whose life is more about gritty tackles, hair-ruining headers and weird tan lines than it is about weekly visits to the tanning bed downtown.
She's probably in better shape than you.
The only thing keeping me from saying "definitely" instead of "probably" is... Actually, I don't know.
Unless you're on the pitch all year like she is, it's highly unlikely you'll be as fit as an athlete whose job it is to run around a 100-by-70-yard field for two uninterrupted, 45-minute halves.
In that case, she just may serve as inspiration for you if, and when, you let yourself go. Win-win!
She'll understand your sports obsessions.
If you're worried about her judging you for obsessing over your fantasy football lineup on a Saturday night, being too distraught to go to class after seeing your team eliminated from March Madness or investing all your emotion into the Knicks' season when all logic suggests you shouldn't, don't be.
She plays a sport with the most passionate fans on earth. She'll understand.
Bonus: She'll Play FIFA with you.
We don't need to explain why this is a good thing.
