The biggest pop culture tidal wave of 2023 might just have been when Taylor Swift showed up at a Kansas City Chiefs home game in September, seemingly confirming weeks of dating rumors between her and all-star tight end Travis Kelce.
Truly, the pop star’s attendance at Arrowhead Stadium took over the internet — not to mention the fact that she was filmed looking super close with Kelce’s mom, or how she left the stadium with Kelce at her side after the game. Fans just couldn’t get enough of the possibility that one of the biggest stars in sports might just be romancing one of the biggest stars in music, with the two of them potentially forming an absolute supernova of a power couple, which one person likened to “the closest thing america has to a royal couple.”
But before there was Taylor and Travis (Trav-lor? Tay-vis?), there were dozens of other famous love stories featuring crossovers between music and sports. Musicians have long been known to shoot and score with pro athletes, be they from the worlds of football, tennis, soccer or hockey. Whether or not all of them worked out, that’s another story – but some of the biggest celebrity pairings to ever link up have featured the likes of Shakira, Carrie Underwood and Enrique Iglesias with partners also known for electrifying arena and stadium audiences, in a very different way.
Sports and music may seem like totally different worlds, but hey. That’s why they say opposites attract. Keep reading to see some of the most famous musician-athlete couples below:
Ciara married then-Seattle Seahawks, now-Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016 after about a year of dating. The couple went on to welcome daughter Sienna Princess in 2017 and son Win Harrison in 2020, later announcing in August 2023 that the longtime hitmaker was pregnant with the couple’s third child (Ciara’s fourth overall).
Vanessa Hudgens and former MLB shortstop Cole Tucker went Instagram-official in early 2021, with the High School Musical actress later revealing she met the athlete in a Zoom meditation group before sliding into his DMs. The couple got engaged in February 2023.
Teyana Taylor started dating Iman Shumpert in 2013 after helping the eventual NBA champion recover from a knee surgery. They later welcomed two daughters together, one before marrying in 2016 and one after. In September 2023, they announced their split.
Victoria Beckham — who once went by the girl-group name Posh Spice — met English football champion David Beckham at one of his games in 1997. The pair wed in 1999, shortly after welcoming their first child. The two share four kids total: sons Brooklyn, born in 1999, Romeo, born in 2002 and Cruz, born in 2005, as well as daughter Harper, born in 2011.
Jennifer Lopez started dating Alex Rodriguez in 2017, and got engaged to the former Yankees shortstop in 2019. In 2020, however, they postponed their wedding amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and in 2021, they called it off for good.
Carrie Underwood and hockey player Mike Fisher have been married since 2010. The parents of two sons, the couple welcomed baby Isaiah in 2015, followed by Jacob in 2019.
Although a quick look at the lyrics of Shakira’s heated “Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 1” will tell you how badly things ultimately worked out between them, the superstar and Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué were an item for 11 years between 2011 and 2022. The pair — who first met on set of Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” music video in 2010 — share two sons, having welcomed Milan in 2013 and Sasha in 2015.
Jessica Simpson married former 49ers tight end Eric Johnson in 2014, four years after they started dating in the wake of each other’s divorces from other partners (Nick Lachey and Keri D’Angelo, respectively). Before tying the knot, they welcomed daughter Maxwell in 2012 and son Ace in 2013. They added daughter Birdie in 2019.
Enrique Iglesias and former pro tennis player Anna Kournikova have been together since 2002, having first met on set of the Spanish musician’s steamy “Escape” music video. They share twins Nicholas and Lucy, born in 2017, and daughter Mary, born in 2020.
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