On Thursday, ESPN published a very sweet story about two Michigan fans who met in the ESPN.com comments section and bonded over their love of Michigan football. And while anyone who has ever been to a comments section knows that this seems unlikely, it’s definitely not impossible.
So for those who want to meet their special someone this way, we have help: We went onto our interoffice Slack chat and spoke to USA TODAY Sports’ Maggie Hendricks, who met her husband, the very nice Pete Gaines, in the comments section of the sports website Deadspin for tips on how to meet that special someone.
nina [2:34 PM]
Did you read the ESPN story about the Michigan football fans today?
maggieh [2:35 PM]
I did. It’s adorable.
nina [2:35 PM]
You also met your husband through a sports website, correct?
maggieh [2:36 PM]
I did. We first started talking to each other through the Deadspin comments section years ago.
nina [2:36 PM]
What did you guys first start talking about?
maggieh [2:37 PM]
He went to Kansas and I went to Mizzou, so it started with that rivalry kind of discussion. We also were both big fans of Chicago sports, so I think we talked about the Cubs, Bears and Bulls, too.
The happy couple. (Courtesy of Maggie Hendricks)
nina [2:38 PM]
When did it start getting more serious than just a comment section discussion, and did other commenters notice before you guys did?
maggieh [2:40 PM]
It started to get a bit more serious later on, and it was more on Twitter. And right before the first time we met up for a drink — something neither of us thought was a date — one of our mutual friends pointed it out. She asked what was going on with Pete and me, and I just kind of waved her off and said nothing.
maggieh [2:40 PM]
We would g-chat from time to time, too, but it was mostly Twitter and Deadspin.
nina [2:41 PM]
So one problem with this story is that you’re never supposed to read the comments, according to most people who have seen the Internet. Did you both talk about the awfulness of reading the comments?
maggieh [2:42 PM]
Oh yes. Deadspin’s comments, especially in the early days, were almost a comment utopia. They were strictly monitored, and so it was a “safe” place for comments. The discussions were as good as the stories, quite often.
I can’t imagine ever meeting someone on, say, Yahoo, where I used to work. The comments were so mean-spirited. It would be tough to find a spark of love — what a dumb phrase, but you know what I mean — there.
nina [2:45 PM]
So for people who are looking for similar love of you and that lovely ESPN couple, would your advice be to only go on sites with highly regulated comments? Or do you think you found love in a hopeless place, like that Rihanna song?
maggieh [2:47 PM]
Yeah, I think what you’re looking for is a common ground, so it makes sense to go to places with specific interests. And hope there is a good moderator. Or be willing to slog through the mud to find that diamond — another Rihanna song — which isn’t that different than going to a bar to find Mr. or Miss Right.
nina [2:48 PM]
How did you know Pete wasn’t catfishing you? Were you nervous about that at all (and vice versa)?
maggieh [2:50 PM]
I didn’t even know catfishing was a thing until after Manti Te’o, so I wasn’t really nervous, because I didn’t know what it was! We really just started out as friends, so I think that made me trust him and our relationship more. And I’m still catfishing him. He is going to be so disappointed to find out I’m a 65-year-old man.
nina [2:51 PM]
That was my next question! OK, last question. What advice do you have for sports fans who are now going to start trolling sports comments sections in search of love?
maggieh [2:52 PM]
Don’t look for love. Look for friends who share common interests, and see what happens. And never, ever trust the guy who calls himself “handsome” in his Twitter/comment section handle.
