Reddit Users Share Candid Experiences Dating Professional Athletes
A viral thread on r/AskReddit has sparked a revealing conversation about the realities of dating professional athletes. The post, titled People who dated a professional athlete, how did that relationship go?, garnered over 1,200 comments filled with personal anecdotes ranging from heartwarming to cautionary.
Early Mornings and Chlorine: Life with an International Swimmer
One of the top comments came from a woman who dated an international swimmer. She described a rigorous daily routine: her boyfriend woke at 5 a.m. for morning practice, returned home to eat, cuddle, and sleep, then repeated the cycle in the afternoon.
“He was really good at balancing his training and the relationship, which I don’t think I fully appreciated in the moment,”
she wrote. She added a humorous but telling detail about sharing a bed.
“The biggest downside was, no matter how much he showered, everything always smelled a bit like chlorine,”
she concluded, noting his broad shoulders took up three-quarters of the mattress—a “blessing and curse.”
The Cost of Olympic Dedication
Another commenter shared his experience dating a woman who held a national record and competed at the Olympics. He emphasized the immense dedication required at that level, stating the relationship forced a stark choice: fully support your partner or watch it end quickly.
“While we were together, I saw a lot of people come and go in her friends’ lives because they couldn’t handle the time, focus, travel, or jealousy of knowing your partner is constantly surrounded by other high-performing athletes,”
he wrote. He acknowledged the dynamic affects people differently—some thrive in that environment while others struggle with the insecurity it can breed.
“She was awesome and is still doing great things.”
From the NBA to the Premier League: Contrasting Dynamics
Not every story centered on the commenter directly. One user recounted attending the wedding of his wife’s friend to an NBA player.
“Still see them from time to time. They are doing great and have a couple of kids. Sometimes they are just normal,”
he wrote, describing the wedding as “amazing.”
However, a different perspective emerged from someone who dated a Premier League footballer. The commenter cited a significant intelligence gap and skewed power dynamics as dealbreakers.
“You could tell he hardly hears no, and I didn’t want to feel controlled, so I left. Not to mention, they cheat a lot lol,”
the user wrote.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in the Reddit post. The details above reflect the accounts as shared on r/AskReddit.
