Romance runs rampant
Aili Forster, Staff Writer
From movies to real life, relationships between different sports players are popular cliches. Some movies and TV shows even center around the a love story between players from two different sports. Though some of these TV tropes might be cheesy, they do give an idea of how two sports might bond two people together.
Arguably, the most cliche sports couple is the cheerleader football player pairing. Since cheerleaders are present at all football games, cheering on the players, it is inevitable that such relationships would form. This is seen often in high school, but also in professional football leagues like the NFL. TV shows like Glee often use this pairing as the “popular” characters or bully characters.
Volleyball and basketball player relationships are less cliche, but can still be very compatible. Both sports usually have very tall players, which might make it hard for them to find a valentine, due to the height difference, but together, they could balance each other out. And while both parties might be individually competitive, a basketball-volleyball player couple would definitely have good teamwork together.
One pairing that would definitely be compatible is between a swimmer and water polo player. While relationships within a specific sport like swimming or water polo are common, couples between the two sports are not. Since both sports require physical activity in the water, this could definitely be a bonding factor. Additionally, in case of emergency, if one of the players is drowning, they would be able to save each other!
Similar to swimming with water polo, figure skating and ice hockey also share similarities. Both sports are performed on the ice and require advanced skills in moving on ice. Both sports players are constantly in freezing settings, but would be able to keep one another warm. One couple that found common ground in this is Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and NHL ice hockey player Bret Hedican, who met during the 1992 Olympic Games, according to the Team USA website.
While similarities in sports are not the deciding factor for relationships, they can be something to bond through and can be a good opportunity to meet people. And whether cliche or not, starting a new sport could be an opportunity to make connections, especially for the Valentine’s season.
