Athletes Whose Fame Skyrocketed After a Relationship With a Celebrity
Professional athletes can reach a celebrity level on their own. For many, though, dating an actor or musician can lift them to even greater levels of fame. Here are some professional athletes who significantly raised their profile due to their romantic connections.
These athletes raised their profile after a relationship with a celebrity
A recent study by Casino Streamers examined the way that a romantic relationship with a celebrity impacted sports stars. The person to gain the most fame from his relationship will likely not come as a surprise.
“Travis Kelce gained the most from his celeb relationship,” the study notes. “When [Taylor] Swift showed up at Arrowhead Stadium in September 2023, the number of people looking Kelce up online went from around 4.8 million to over 133 million in a single month. His Instagram following also grew by 2.1 million almost overnight, as Swifties who had never followed the NFL were suddenly very interested in her boyfriend. On top of everything, over 121K new articles were written about him in that same window.”
Justin Hebert’s fame also skyrocketed after his relationship with Madison Beer went public. The number of people searching for him each month jumped from 186k to nearly 1.74 million. The monthly articles about him also increased by 15,000.
While this couple is no longer together, Stefon Diggs received a bump in his fame after he started dating Cardi B. He picked up over 41k Instagram followers, and the monthly searches for him jumped from 1.5 million to over 7.4 million.
Other athletes whose fame jumped after their relationships include Josh Allen, who married Steinfeld; Lewis Hamilton, who is dating Kim Kardashian; and Donovan Mitchell, who married Coco Jones.
A celebrity doesn’t typically have a greater level of fame after dating an athlete
While professional athletes can raise their profile by dating a celebrity, the reverse is largely not true. Athletes typically don’t have the same kind of fan base.
“A famous musician or actress can date an athlete, and suddenly millions of new people are paying attention to him. The reverse usually doesn’t have the same effect,” a spokesperson from the study said. “Athletes already have strong fan bases, while entertainers can bring in a completely new audience: often younger and more active online. It’s one reason why so many athletes are now investing in their personal brand outside of sport; they’ve seen what’s possible when the right relationship puts them in front of a different crowd.”
