Student athletes give their opinions on the nature of intersports relationships, as well as “teamcest”
Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching, meaning most of the population is currently prepping to be either super obnoxiously in love for 24 hours, or super obnoxious about how not-in-love they are. Trinity athletes are no exception to this, although being a serious athlete may add an extra crinkle into getting out into the dating world.
When examining the dating habits of the typical athlete, the question of whether athletes are more likely to date other athletes, especially those that play the same sport, must be examined. For some, the answer is absolutely. It makes sense that, if you love a sport enough to dedicate hours upon hours of your life to it, you would want someone else who is just as dedicated. Some people claim that their sport helped them meet their significant other, and that it became a common ground they were able to bond over.
“I met my boyfriend through cross country and we started bonding over our shared enjoyment of running, which I think helped progress our relationship a lot,” said senior Natalie Belew. “It was also convenient, because we got to travel together and we had all the same meets so we got to support each other in that way. Even now that he’s graduated we’ll still do races and such together so it has been a major part of our relationship.”
However, not everyone is entirely on board with the idea of athletes dating each other. Relationships between two members of the same team, commonly known as “teamcest,” seem to come under the most fire, with criticisms that they are too risky for team dynamic, or cause cliques.
“I don’t think it’s a huge issue if athletes date each other, although personally no, I would not be any more inclined to date someone because they were an athlete versus someone who was not,” said sophomore Rachel Hanes. “When it’s within teams though it could be tricky because then if the couple breaks up then that could put pressure on the team or people could feel like they needed to pick sides, which would then be bad for overall dynamic. So it could work out but you’d need to be careful and make sure that there isn’t any animosity on the team because of it.”
Another interesting view is from the point of view of the non-athlete. While movies and popular teen books seem to play up the dream of dating the star football or basketball player, making it seem like going after athletes would be all the rage, that may not hold as true in real life. Whether or not athletes are actually sought after is up for debate, with the majority of non-varsity athletes not really seeming to care too much.
“I can’t say that athlete-status would really be something I would consider when considering a possible partner,” said junior Zeina Zayat. “I don’t think it matters if they’re an athlete or not, it’s really more important if they’re a good person. Also I wouldn’t want to deal with the stinky clothes.”
As far as Valentine’s Day goes, dating an athlete may become slightly trickier, but still totally possible to work through. While many athletes may be less willing to take the sugary, treats that you would buy for the average date, they will be in love with a cheesy valentine or one of those ridiculously soft bears that holds a heart in its tiny paws. Throw in a protein bar, and you can probably win their heart forever.
