Love is in the air, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating some of the most inspiring power couples in the world of professional sports. These athletes not only shine in their respective careers but also share a strong bond of love and partnership. Who are some of the most famous and successful sports couples in the world?
Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024. He was always a highly touted top prospect, being drafted first overall by Pittsburgh in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Louisiana State University, the team he helped lead to a College World Series title in 2023. He lived up to the hype in his rookie season, posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and a 4.3 fWAR in 133 innings pitched, winning NL Rookie of the Year and finishing third in Cy Young voting.
Skenes made national headlines, but not for the stats posted in his remarkable rookie season. It was because he was dating LSU gymnast and TikTok influencer Livvy Dunne, who has over five million Instagram followers and over eight million on TikTok.
Dunne is fourth on the list of college athletes with the largest NIL deals, racking in a whopping $4.2 million. Aside from Dunne, every other athlete on that list is a men’s college basketball or football player, but because of her Internet popularity, she has rocketed up the list as one of the world’s most popular college athletes.
Due to Dunne’s everlasting fame as an influencer and Skenes’ rising stardom as a superstar pitcher, this is a sports power couple that both baseball fans and those who keep up with social media stars can bond over.
Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco
In the world of soccer, Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco are the textbook power couple.
Morgan was a star for Team USA during the Olympics and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and two Women’s World Cups for the USWNT in 2015 and 2019. She has also had successful club stints, notably with the NSWL‘s Orlando Pride and Lyon in France. She is regarded as one of the greatest players of her generation and a trailblazer for women in sports.
Carrasco was a journeyman in the MLS, having played for five clubs in his eight-year career, most notably the Seattle Sounders and Orlando City SC. As a senior at the University of California, Berkeley, he was named NSCAA Third Team Far West Region, First Team All-Pac-10, Third Team Pac-10 All-American, and Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention, scoring seven goals and having three assists that year. Carrasco and Morgan have been married since 2014.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa
A tennis power couple, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have won the hearts of fans internationally after competing together in events such as the US Open and the French Open.
Tsitsipas, who achieved the title of highest-ranked Greek in tennis history in 2021 after being ranked third in the world in singles by the ATP, has won eleven singles titles such as the 2019 ATP Finals and three Masters 1000 events. He is currently ranked 12th in the world in singles and has a career record of 348-168.
Badosa has been ranked as high as second in the world in singles by the WTA in 2022. She has won four singles titles, including a WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells in 2021. As a junior, she ranked eighth in the world and was the 2015 French Open junior champion.
Tsitsipas and Badosa began dating in 2023 and broke up in May 2024 before reconciling later that month. The couple competed in mixed doubles at the US Open together in 2024.
Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra
Women’s soccer legend Mia Hamm and former MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra have been married since 2003.
Mia Hamm is widely regarded as the face of women’s soccer, having played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion for the USWNT. A National Soccer Hall of Famer, Hamm was chosen by Pelé as one of FIFA’s 125 greatest living players in the FIFA 100.
Nomar Garciaparra is a former six-time MLB All-Star, most notably for the Boston Red Sox. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1997 and finished second in MVP voting in 1998. He also won a Silver Slugger in 1997 and two batting titles in 1999 and 2000.
Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec
Married since 2009, tennis legend Roger Federer and his wife, Mirka Vavirnec, have been one of the most famous sports couples.
Roger Federer is heavily regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history. Ranked number one by the ATP for 310 weeks, he has won 103 singles titles, the second most since the start of the Open Era, including 20 major men’s singles titles. He is a six-time Australian Open champion, an eight-time Wimbledon champion, and a five-time US Open champion. In 2009, he achieved the career Grand Slam, winning all four major championships in one discipline.
Mirka Vavirnec played tennis professionally as well, reaching the third round of the US Open in 2001. However, due to a recurring foot injury, she was forced to retire from professional tennis in 2002.
In 2002, Vavirnec and Federer teamed up as doubles in the Hopman Cup.
Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe
Sue Bird is regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players of all time. As the first pick in the 2002 WNBA draft from UConn, Bird played her entire career for the Seattle Storm. She is a 13-time WNBA All-Star and a four-time WNBA champion, currently standing as the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades.
Megan Rapinoe, on the other hand, is a women’s soccer icon. Best known for playing alongside Mia Hamm for the USWNT, Rapinoe has won the Ballon d’Or Féminin and been named The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019 and won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 Women’s World Cup, and 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Bird and Rapinoe, icons of their respective sports, have been together since 2017. Their relationship is massive not only in the world of women’s sports and the LGBTQ community but in the general world of sports altogether.
BONUS: Athlete/Celebrity Couples
In all of the couples named so far, both were athletes. Now, it’s time to take a look at some of the most famous couples where only one of the sides is an athlete, and the other is a celebrity famous for a different field.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
Probably the most famous couple in the world right now, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, have been making national headlines ever since the two began dating in July 2023.
Kelce, tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, is a ten-time Pro Bowler and a three-time Super Bowl champ with the Chiefs alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift, arguably the most famous singer of the 21st century, has released 14 albums, and her Eras Tour was the first concert tour in history to surpass $1 billion in revenue.
Since Swift and Kelce’s relationship began, it has been the center of media attention in the NFL. Every major news outlet covering sports has seemed to want a piece of the Kelce/Swift story. Whenever Swift attends one of his games, it can be guaranteed she will be shown onscreen. Fans of Swift who have never thought twice about football have been buying Kelce and Chiefs merch. There is no denying the magnitude of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship in the football world and beyond.
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
Another case of a renowned athlete dating a female pop star, David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, can be recognized as the Kelce/Swift of their time.
David Beckham is known as one of the greatest soccer players ever to hit the pitch. The English former midfielder for Manchester United won the club six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, an Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. In four seasons with Real Madrid, he won a La Liga championship. For the England national team, Beckham was the captain for six years. He was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players, and holds a place in both the English Football Hall of Fame and the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Victoria is best known as a member of the English pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was referred to as “Posh Spice.” The Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. After the groups disbandment in 2001, she has starred in documentaries and reality shows, such as Victoria’s Secrets (2000) and Being Victoria Beckham (2002).
David’s accomplishments in the world of soccer and Victoria’s accomplishments as a musician and a pop culture icon have made them one of the most famous power couples in the world of sports.
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union
Since their marriage in 2014, former NBA star Dwayne Wade and actress Gabrielle Union have made headlines as one of the most famous sports couples in the world.
During his 16-year career, Wade made 13 All-Star appearances, was recognized eight times as an All-NBA player, and was a three-time NBA champion, winning the honors of Finals MVP in 2005-06. D-Wade spent nearly the entirety of his career with the Miami Heat.
Gabrielle Union is an actress best known for her roles in the romantic comedy films The Brothers (2001), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Daddy’s Little Girls (2007), and Think Like a Man (2012). She has also starred as the title character in BET drama series Being Mary Jane (2013–2019), for which she received an NAACP Image Award.
