Online or in the real world, making friends can be challenging. We've all experienced it at one time or another, being alone in a new place and not knowing the right way to approach a group of people. You don't want them to think you're some weirdo, or worse - a stalker, right? And hey, if you haven't had that experience, good for you. You're in the minority. That's why I'm writing this guide on How to Make Friends: so you can learn good sportsmanship.

Rule #1: Sportsmanship is important. Sportsmanship is defined loosely as "being respectful". Remember, nobody is going to want to be friends with a disrespectful jerk. Be the kind of person you'd want to be your friend! A friendship house is built by a group, not just one person, and you must use good sportsmanship to lay that foundation.

Rule #2: Be cool. It's really not hard. If you see a group of people who you want to befriend, just be nice. You can walk up to them and say "Hey, I'm new. Can I join you?" and most will be more than welcoming. Definitely don't come up to them and do something bizarre like talk about how crazy you are, offer them roses, or try to steal their team name. Remember, you're the newbie here. You need to knock on the friendship door, but it must be opened by the other people. Act like the kind of person you'd want to let in your friendship house.

Rule #3: Don't pick fights. Maybe your prospective new friends aren't interested in being your friend. That's a shame, but it happens. Maybe their friend group is already at capacity, or maybe you failed to follow the previous rules and they think you're a creep. Regardless of the reason, it's time to move on. You can do this by saying "Hey, that's cool, have a good day!" and walking away. The most important thing is that you bow out with a modicum of dignity and respect. Don't pick fights or get weird and stalky with them. Take a hint and leave.

Rule #4: Be cool (again). There's other people who will want to be your friend, but you must maintain your cool factor. If you've failed at rule #3, everybody probably already knows you failed. It's best you take that as a sign that it's time to move to a new community that didn't see you royally fail earlier.

I hope these four sportsmanship rules have opened your eyes on how to better make friends. I recommend practicing in front of the mirror for a whole week (or maybe a month) before you try this out on the sportsball court.

Sources: Pixabay and Giphy (Misery)