With Major League Baseball season starting on April 1st, I’m stoked to get to the ballpark. But although I have a longstanding love of baseball, I know not everybody does. As the weather warms up and the games get underway, though, I’d like to encourage people to consider attending a baseball game—minor league, major league, doesn’t matter—as a date and/or non-date activity. And I absolutely have some reasons to convince you:

Outdoor activities! Sunshine and fresh air!
This has been a loooonnngg winter for most of the Midwest and East Coast. Sometimes the only thing that kept me from losing my mind during one of several snowstorms was the memory of sitting outside at my favorite ballpark on a warm spring day. People are going to be looking for any reason to get outside this spring. I suggest making baseball your reason.

Two people? A full-blown group? Either way, you’re set to socialize.
When you purchase your ticket for the game, you automatically get a hard, plastic seat (or space on a bleacher) where you can watch the action and enjoy the ambiance of the stadium. If it’s you and one other person in attendance, sitting side-by-side is fine for making conversation, but maybe you’d rather go with a group. No problem. Most ballparks have a ton of other places where you can socialize while still watching the game: restaurants within the stadium, patios, green spaces, etc.

The thrill of the action. No, seriously.
I think some people view baseball as a slow, boring sport, but that’s not true. Homeruns, inning-ending double-plays, diving catches, stolen bases—all causes for hundreds or thousands of fans to stand up, cheer, yell, clap and celebrate in whatever way they want to. How could you not get caught up in that kind of excitement? But maybe you don’t consider yourself to be much of a sports fan, so my recommendation is this: just pick a team and start cheering. (This is basically how I get through the Super Bowl.) You’ll get into the game; enthusiasm is contagious.

Long games mean more time to get to know someone.
While I can prove that baseball isn’t boring, I can’t really argue about it being slower-paced than other sports. But I think that’s one of the best aspects of the game: you get to enjoy the experience at a relatively leisurely pace. Plus, the long games allow time for more conversation, something that you couldn’t really accomplish if you were at the movies or in a loud club. Just don’t talk so loud that you’re bothering the people around you. And with that being said…

Learn about the game, or teach others.
Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been watching baseball for a long time, so I’m quite familiar with the general rules of the game. I get that many people don’t understand any of it—and actually, you don’t really realize how many rules there are to a sport until you’re sitting with someone who knows absolutely nothing and asks you questions for all nine innings. Best advice: if you’re sitting in a section that’s fairly empty, go ahead and ask all the questions that your date can handle (or if you’re the one with all of the knowledge, explain to your heart’s content). However, if you’re surrounded by other fans, it’s best to keep the questions/explanations to the most basic information. (This somehow turned into a PSA about fan etiquette.)

Excuse for wearing baseball caps.
If none of those reasons convinced you to go to a game, then consider this: baseball caps allow you to wear your hair in a ponytail without spending any substantial amount of time on your hair. And you don’t even look lazy for doing this—you totally fit in!