Sportsish Love Stories: Pride Month Edition
As Pride month comes to a close, we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on our favorite LGBTQ+ Sportsish couples! We love them for their adorable meet-cutes and couple moments, but more importantly, for being such great role models and bringing visibility to the LGBTQ+ community. Oh, and of course, for being some of the best athletes and bringing home the hardware. In the wise words of Megan Rapinoe: “You can’t win a championship without gays.” Here’s to love, representation, and rings—on and off the field. 🌈
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Sue Bird & Meghan Rapinoe
Of course, no sports couple list is complete without our queens, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. These two are the definition of a power couple, being two of the most accomplished athletes in their respective sports. Bird is a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame player (as of this year!), a 4x WNBA Championship winner, a 5x Olympic gold medalist, and the WNBA’s leader in assists. Rapinoe is one of the most famous soccer players, having won two World Cups, two Olympic Medals, and the FIFA Best Player award. Obviously, they’re iconic as athletes, but their love story is too.
Bird and Rapinoe met at the Olympics (as most people do) during a photo shoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics. According to Sue, Megan dorkily said, “Hey, you ready for your game?”... and the rest was history. The two have been engaged since 2020, and we think a wedding is on the horizon now that they are both newly retired athletes. Thank you, Sue and Megan, for being our favorite athletes and our favorite couple all in one!
Megan Rapinoe with Sue Bird after her last USWNT game (Brad Smith/Getty Images)
Sue Bird with Megan Rapinoe after the Tokyo gold medal game (Getty Images)
Christen Press and Tobin Heath
Any soccer fan knows the couple up next: the beloved Tobin Heath and Christen Press! Tobin and Christen met many years ago as teammates on the US National Team, but they didn’t begin dating until a couple of years later. “As soon as I actually got to know her, there was just, like, a magnetism,” Press says in an interview with Today, reminiscing on the early stages of their relationship. “And I was like, that’s what I want. And I never looked back. I still feel the exact same way.”
Tobin and Christen were the soccer world’s favorite love story even before they went public with their relationship. Fans speculated for years that the two were together, but their status wasn’t confirmed until last summer on “Watch with Alex Cooper” during the Olympics. The two revealed that they had been dating for eight years! Just imagine winning two Olympic medals and two World Cups with the love of your life… we’re obsessed. Fans are ecstatic that the couple is finally releasing details about their relationship little by little on their podcast, and we literally can’t wait to hear more.
Christen Press and Tobin Heath celebrate a goal as USWNT teammates (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, File)
Christen Press and Tobin Heath at the ESPYS (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Marie-Phillip Poulin and Laura Stacey
We know they have plenty of Olympic medals between the two of them, but we’re also awarding hockey queens Marie-Phillip Poulin and Laura Stacey a gold medal for the literal cutest couple origin story. In an interview for CBS Sports, Stacey said that everything started when the two met as teammates playing for Team Canada. “A few of us decided to go skinny dipping in the pool at 2 a.m,” Stacey says. “The two of us looked up into the sky at the same time, and we saw a shooting star. Our eyes met, and we asked each other if we just saw that. Nobody else in the pool saw it or knew what was going on, but we saw it. For the rest of that night it was a weird feeling. I had a feeling. We always go back to that moment. Even in my wedding vows, that was the thing — that she was the wish I had always dreamed of, and I didn’t realize it until now.” Brb we’re just crying.
Apart from being the most adorable couple, Marie-Phillip and Laura are also responsible for creating one of the funniest memes. When a video of them celebrating after a goal in the PWHL went viral, several fans took to the comments to say how special it was that Laura got to share her goal-scoring moment with her fiancée (now wife). Marcus, a confused fan, commented, “Her fiancée is there? Didn’t see him behind the glass”. Another fan then made sure to set the record straight, replying, “Her fiance is #29 Poulin. She’s gay, Marcus”. That comment has since become an iconic meme that celebrates queerness in sports, and you can even get merch for it now!
Marie-Phillip Pulin and Laura Stacey's engagement (via IG @pou29, @laurastacey7)
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd
Any women’s basketball fan knows we can’t make a Pride Month edition list of our favorite couples without including Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd (Pazzi, to be exact). This couple is unique in that we are just beginning to receive confirmation of their couple status – although Pazzi shippers on TikTok will tell you we’ve had proof for years. The two met back in 2017 on the US National Team and seemed to be inseparable ever since. After playing together and against each other on several different teams throughout high school, Paige went on to play at UConn– but not without convincing Azzi to come with her. Paige and Azzi only got to share the court at UConn like they dreamed of for about one year due to injuries, but both of them made it very clear that the other was instrumental in their recovery process. This year, they were both finally healthy and playing in the starting lineup for Paige’s last season— the one that ended in a National Championship win for UConn. Poetic, really.
We aren’t quite sure when Paige and Azzi officially started dating, but they’ve made sure to drop us hints lately. The first indication came at the WNBA draft, where Azzi sat at Paige’s table (reserved for family, coaches, and significant others only) and was the first person Paige hugged after learning she had been drafted #1. Shortly after, Azzi posted a trending TikTok, mainly done by couples, with the caption “princess treatment every time I’m with her.” Even after this, media outlets still continued to refer to them as best friends/former teammates, so Azzi set the record straight by posting a mirror selfie with her phone case reading “Paige Bueckers’ girlfriend.” Whether you’ve been shipping them for years or you’re new here... welcome.
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd hug after Paige got drafted #1 (Getty)
Azzi Fudd’s “Paige Buecker’s girlfriend” phone case (Via IG azzi35)
Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis
You’ve heard about couples playing on the same team, but what about love stories from opposite sides of the field? Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis are exactly that and more. The two met on the field in an NWSL tournament and then proceeded to talk on social media. Their first date? A two-week-long Covid-19 quarantine. How… romantic? Sam recalls thinking it would be really awkward if she didn’t end up liking Kristie, but luckily, the result of the quarantine was the complete opposite. The two survived a long-distance relationship, played against each other in the Olympic games, and are now married with their first child. Goals on and off the field!
One particularly special story involving this couple comes from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, specifically the bronze medal match between Australia (Sam’s team) and the USA (Kristie’s team). After the USA’s win, a famous picture was taken of Kristie comforting her partner on the field while the rest of her team celebrated their win. The picture circulated as a celebration of sportsmanship, but real ones knew the real context of it all. It led to the creation of another iconic meme, where a fan (Stacey) replied on a Twitter post of the picture saying, “Friendship has no boundaries. Win or lose, friends are still friends.” Another fan quickly responded to the comment and explained the real significance of the photo by saying, “They’re lesbians, Stacey.” Hilarious, iconic, and yes, available for purchase printed on T-shirts and hats, too. Thank you, Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis, for sharing your adorable love story and for giving us the perfect meme that somehow comes up every single Pride Month - we’re not complaining.
Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr with their son (Via IG @kmewis19, @samanthakerr20)