10 Ways to Convert a Soccer Hater

Don’t let your friends and family become soccer haters. Here's your guide to converting the non-believers.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Look, I get it. Soccer is an easily hated sport full of seedy old European men, animalistic-looking biters, and diving fairies for players. Bah humbug, soccer hater. It’s 2015, which means we’re living in the Year of Getting Over Yourself. The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy has been peddling the exact same anti-soccer spew for 25 years. Basically, you don’t want to be that guy, especially as soccer in the United States continues its upswing in popularity and profitability. If you’re a soccer fan and you have anyone within your circle of family and friends who’s a known soccer hater, please help them help themselves. Don’t let your friends and family become Dan Shaughnessy. Here are 10 Ways to Convert a Soccer Hater.

Play FIFA 15 once with the hater and let the video game do the rest.

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Wear fire soccer kits and *reads Four-Pins once* soccer-inspired jawns.

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Play the damn sport.

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Bring him or her to a bar at 10 a.m. on a Saturday to watch English Premier League soccer.

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Trick the hater into giving you money for an MLB game. Use that money to buy MLS tickets and force the hater to take in an MLS match with you.

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Show off the reality TV side of the beautiful game: dramatic narratives and big personalities.

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Have a “hang out and, like, just chill” day at your place and put on any one of the ESPN 30 for 30’s about soccer.

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Have an honest conversation about all the bad things about soccer.

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Introduce the Men in Blazers.

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Show the hater the future. It’s looking way up for footy, especially in the United States.

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Bonus: If the hater in question is American, go back in time and re-experience Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria.

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