Football world and Interracial Relationships

When it comes to football, romance doesn’t seem to be a common counterpart. Pair this with the fact that many people enjoy a sense of privacy & it makes it pretty hard to find out who your favorite footballers are with (or trying to get with!). Although not particularly common in Britain, many interracial couples come together around the world. Thanks to celebrities, the popularity of interracial dating is on the rise. There are many interracial dating sites in the UK citizens have learned to use recently, but until the latest years, the practice seemed fairly uncommon.

What We Learned

When it comes to footballers, romantic pursuits and dating seem to be largely at the bottom of their lists of priorities. In fact, we had to search around quite a bit just to find a few interracial relationships. This isn’t all too surprising, though, as only approximately one in ten UK relationships are interracial. Much like how the world of football is constantly changing, interracial progress is being made, but it’s taking a bit longer than in other parts of the world. 

One could argue that the recent movement was sparked by the marriage of couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which marked the first time a mixed-race person became part of the Royal Family. Although mostly speculation, it’s often commented that racism was the motivation for the couple’s choice to depart from the Royal Family and seek financial independence. 

Modern Culture Influences

Whether prominent political figures, famous footballers, or other types of celebrities, there’s no doubt that celebrities have a giant influence on modern culture as a whole, including even dating habits and standards. This reach extends from larger issues like racism to smaller topics such as relationships. While footballers’ influence in Britain may be substantial, things are very different in America, where “football” is usually reserved for a different game (“football” as you likely know it is usually referred to as “soccer”).

Perhaps the most influential figures these days are not athletes; rather, musicians! For sure, an athlete’s taste in music can definitely sway the opinions of their fans, but the musicians definitely have a far wider reach. For example, think of the song “Bad Girl” by Avril Lavigne (featuring Marilyn Manson). Lightly touching on BDSM in regards to choking and “I’ve been a bad girl,” the song itself isn’t very important but has undoubtedly influenced more young people than any statement made by a footballer as of late. If taboo topics such as BDSM and kinky stuff can be approached in music, surely bigger topics such as racism should be approachable in sports!

The Potential Positive Impacts of More Interracial Relationships

The world as a whole still needs to make a lot of progress when it comes to race relationships. Of course, work always starts at home, and who better to do it than the football stars we all know & look up to? Football isn’t often used as a place to make personal or political statements, but we know that sports can be an extremely influential forum if properly utilized. After all, look at how America was instantly ignited when American football player Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest against racism. The conversation has been continuing ever since.

While picking & choosing your battles is an important part of life, perhaps it’s time to fight hate with love. There are a lot of tools available for those who appreciate interracial romance or simply don’t see color and are willing to meet and date people from any race. Some choose online dating as a way to connect with a specific partner; others prefer a direct approach, but whichever you choose – go for it.