With preseason approaching rapidly, fans across the United States are gearing up for another year of excitement. The National Women's Soccer League is about to start its fifth season, with ten teams from around the country all competing for the title of league champion. The league has grown quite a bit since its humble beginning in 2013, with teams like the Portland Thorns having an attendance of over 15,000 fans at home games, rivaling that of many Major League Soccer teams. The demand for women's soccer within the United States has grown substantially since the days of the failed Women's Professional Soccer league, yet the struggle to thrive is still a huge part of the sport. Many people ask, "why should we even want to watch women's soccer?". Though my short answer to this question is, "why would you not want to?", here are twelve reasons you should tune into the NWSL this season.

1. They Truly Play For the Love of the Game

Everyone knows that in most professional sports leagues, money is the dominating force behind the game. Athletes are paid millions, and when they aren't on the court or on the pitch, they're living the life of luxury. Yet, despite holding the title of professional atheletes, women in the NWSL are paid low wages, with the 2015 minimum salary being just over $6,000 and the maximum being around $37,000. This is primarily due to the league being relatively new in nature, and though the pay range is slowly becoming less dismal, it will require a lot more support before the women are paid nearly as much as their male counterparts. In order to play in the league, players often live with host families in order to avoid the expenses of owning or renting a home. When they played for the Houston Dash, World Cup winners Meghan Klingenberg and Morgan Brian lived with former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy during the 2015 season. Other players have taken on extra jobs in order to support their soccer career. One has to admire the sacrifice these girls make for the love of soccer, and the struggles they face just to hold the privilege of being a professional athlete.

2. They're Extremely Entertaining

Talent and entertainment is the name of the game when it comes to sports. However, these athletes don't stop entertaining when they leave the pitch. Whether it be through social media, public appearances, or interviews, these girls are really good at tugging on our heartstrings and making us laugh. From watching them compete in a spinach eating contest versus famous National Women's Hockey League players, to laughing at the teams' hilarious tweets, the girls and those backing them will always put you in a good mood and give you a laugh or two.

3. They Give Back

Despite the low incomes of the ladies in the NWSL, philanthropic efforts are not scarce within the league. Though some come in the form of money, a majority come in the form of hands-on volunteer work or promotion via live appears and social media. Some athletes take their philanthropy overseas, such as Orlando Pride defender Ali Krieger who recently partnered up with "miraclefeet", an organization that works towards providing medical care for children in developing countries that suffer from clubfoot. Other players, such as Ashlyn Harris, the head goalkeeper for the Pride, have aimed their philanthropy somewhere closer to home. Harris recently partnered up with "To Write Love On Her Arms", which focuses on helping those who suffer from "depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide". She has made several public appearances for the organization, and last September she teamed up with founder Jamie Tworkowski to make a video discussing World Suicide Prevention Day. Only through constant support of the league can these amazing women continue to be philanthropically active.

4. They Have Amazing Relationships with their Fans

Signing autographs is all in a day's work, but it goes far beyond that for these women. Open practices, meet and greets, and soccer camps all take place to allow NWSL fans to connect with their favorite players in person. However, the love doesn't only go one way. The players love their fans just as much as the fans love them. Celebrations after big events often include fans, such as when the Portland Thorn's won the 2013 championship and held a celebration at JELD-WEN. The fans like to make their admiration of the players obvious through thoughtful gestures, such as when they tweeted dog pictures to cheer up Christen Press, a forward for the United States Women's National Team and for the Chicago Red Stars, after the USWNT's unfortunate exit from the 2016 Olympics. If you want a relationship with your favorite athletes, the NWSL has got you covered,

5. They're on TV

Broadcast deals with Fox Sports and ESPN have allowed the NWSL to come to our television screens since it's beginnings. However, only a few games per season were broadcasted on these networks, and often it was not on a primary channel. Other games during the season had to be live-streamed by fans via the internet. Games were also often on weekdays, causing working fans to sometimes miss the streams. However, recently the NWSL has made a deal with the Lifetime Network. The deal allows for at least one game per week to be broadcast on the channel, and for the games to be broadcasted specifically on the weekends. This makes the games easily accessible, and a great way to spend an hour or two on the weekends..

6. They Have Beauty

Though beauty is not the main focus of any athlete's life, it never hurts to be attractive. The NWSL is full of gorgeous women, inside and out. Players are known for their good looks and awesome personalities. Some, such as Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan, have graced the covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Others, such as Christen Press, have even dared to pose in the ESPN Body Issue, showing just how much work goes into maintaining a soccer-ready body. You never catch the natural beauties of the NWSL looking anything other than gorgeous, even on the field.

7. They Have Brains

These women are more than just skill and looks. The NWSL is home to a variety of players from many different colleges, some as prestigious as Stanford. Players have majored in a variety of challenging subjects while in college, such as: political economy; science, technology, and society; and kinesiology. These educated women aren't afraid to share what they know, and occasionally battle it out via trivia for the entertainment of their fans.

8. They Represent Diversity

Diversity is America's greatest strength, and it is the NWSL's greatest pride. Athletes from numerous countries and a variety of different backgrounds can be found upon the pitch at any given game. Individuals of different faiths, sexualities, and ethnicities all come together to play their favorite sport. Open expression of one's identity is encouraged, and athletes can be found speaking on topics ranging from religion to sexual orientation to race. American born Christians such as Tobin Heath play alongside Muslim-raised individuals such as Nadia Nadim, who fled from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country during her childhood. Though a majority of NWSL players are heterosexual, they have nothing but love for their homosexual teammates. Eighteen NWSL players of various sexual orientations have partnered up with Athlete Ally in an attempt to end homophobia in sports. Teams have also shown support of the LGBT community in other ways, with the Portland Thorns being one of the first professional sports teams to endorse a same-sex marriage campaign and the Orlando Pride housing a Pulse memorial inside of their home stadium. Never before has a sports league allowed their players to be so open about their identities, and never before have such a diverse group of players come together for a common love.

9. They Unite People

Those who have been to any NWSL game know of the insane feeling of community one finds when sitting next to other fans. The world of women's soccer is small enough to make fans of all teams band together, while growing large enough to stay exciting. Each team has it's own fan base that plays, watches, and enjoys the sport together. The most well-known fan base may be that of the Portland Thorns, with the Rose City Riveters being there to chant and cheer their way to the top at every game. Other teams have fan clubs as well, such as Sky Blue FC's Cloud 9. These groups allow for fans to feed off of each other's excitement and find a home in the world of women's soccer. Only an amazing sport can make strangers feel so much like family.

10. They Don't Flop

Soccer is known as the sport of flopping. If somebody accidentally touches a player, they're expected to pretend to be horribly injured in order to milk the incident to their team's benefit. In women's soccer, cheap antics such as these rarely make an appearance. Scientific studies have been conducted proving female soccer players do not fake injuries, unlike their male counterparts. From turf burn, to concussions, the women of the NWSL are used to pain and they don't let it stand in the way of the game. Players such as Abby Wambach, a former forward for the Western New York Flash (now known as the North Carolina Courage), have played while sustaining concussions, only to seek medical treatment after the game has ended. Though this isn't necessarily a good thing, it surely beats the flopping found in men's soccer.

11. They're Actually Good

Many scoff when asked if they watch women's sports. Why would anybody tune in to watch women play the same sports as men, especially since they aren't as good? In women's soccer, this idea does not apply. Due to the differences between the male and female body, women's soccer is less reliant on speed and strength. Thus, strategy is the focus of the game. If you prefer a game filled with entertaining plays and amazing maneuvers, the NWSL has you covered. From incredible long distance goals by former Houston Dash midfielder Carli Lloyd, to amazing headers by Portland Thorns goalkeeper Michelle Betos, the games will leave you breathless and impressed.

If you want to tune in, the season opens on April 15 at 2:00pm EST with the Houston Dash playing the Chicago Red Stars.