Professional sports are known for their famous couples. As it turns out, some wife and girlfriends have more followers than their pro sports partners. So, they’re more in demand than their star players. It’s fun to look at these couples and see where they stand. From Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, who unfortunately didn’t make it, to Russell Wilson and Ciara, there’s nothing like a power couple that brings two superstar businesses together.
Wives and Girlfriends With More Followers Than Their Pro Sports Partners
Right now, the MLB is really trying to capitalize on one of their high-profile couples. Gymnast Olivia Dunne is dating new Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who is having a terrific season. She was at his very first game, and the cameras couldn’t turn away. I reminded me of when Taylor Swift started showing up at Travis Kelce’s games with the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL went crazy. That story ended well, since the NFL definitely gained popularity overall with Swift showing up at games. As for Dunne, she has more than 8 million TikTok followers and 5 million Instagram followers, which adds up to a much bigger social following than her boyfriend. So, the MLB is hoping that social traction helps make the MLB more popular, and it’s a safe bet that it will. I don’t think it will quite be the Taylor Swift effect, but it won’t hurt.
As for more pro sports partners, the experts at Doc’s Sports recently did a study on wives and girlfriends of MLB stars and how many of them have a higher earning potential than their partners. No. 1 on their tally is vocalist Vanessa Hudgens, who is married to Cole Tucker, a shortstop and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels. Hudgens has 4.5 million TikTok followers and 51.3 million Instagram followers. They project that her earning potential for a single Instagram post is $51,253. Likewise, her earning potential for a single TikTok post is $7,258.41.
No. 3 is model Kate Upton, who has 6.7 million Instagram followers and 54,500 TikTok followers. They report that Upton could make $9,289 for one Instagram post.
Aside from the MLB, singer Ciara and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson are one of the NFL’s most high-profile couple. I think they’re adorable and have really experienced years of married bliss. So, what kind of following do they have? Ciara has 35 million Instagram followers, and Wilson has 6 million. so, Ciara has many times more followers than her husband.
Also, actress and former MTV VJ La La Anthony is married to basketball star Carmelo Anthony. La La has 15 million Instagram followers. Carmelo has 8.1 million.
Of course, I have to mention Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Swift has a whopping 283 million Instagram followers. Meanwhile, while Kelce has 6 million.
So, those are the numbers. Plenty of wives and girlfriends have more followers than their pro sports partners. But, it’s not about having a big social following and lots of fanfare. It’s about being in love, no matter how many likes and followers you have. So, hopefully all of these couples are very much in love and don’t compare social followings.