Even in the age of infinite dating apps, people are still finding love in surprising places.
MacKenzie Walker and Joey Mitchell didn’t meet on Tinder, Match or the plethora of dating apps and services available. They met on Fancred, a social app designed to connect sports fans.
As you might expect, the romantic connection came out of left field for both parties. “We never thought Fancred would be a place to meet each other,” Walker said in an email to Mashable. “It totally came as a surprise to both of us. We started out as sports friends and it gradually just turned into something we both really wanted to try and pursue.”
While the idea of marrying your best friend is nothing new, it’s interesting to consider what about a sports-centric app could inspire a romantic connection. Fancred has feeds organized around certain teams and sports, making it easy to connect with fans that follow the same teams as you. The two started chatting during March Madness 2014, bonding over a mutual love of the Wichita St. Shockers.
“Joey and I pretty much gushed about sports and didn’t even realize what we were getting ourselves into.”
Bonding on Fancred led to Facebook messages, which led to Joey flying from Las Vegas to spend a weekend with McKenzie at her home in Kansas in September 2014. The two continued visiting each other fairly often after that, but Walker says they were ready for marriage even before meeting in person. “We both knew that about each other before he actually came to Kansas in September. When he came in September, [it] just sealed everything and we both knew FOR SURE.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
McKenzie and Joey’s first picture together when he flew to visit her in Kansas last fall.
Image: MacKenzie Walker
So, can Walker see Fancred being a place where other soulmates find one another? “Yes, I can. Sports is a big thing, it is easy to connect over (if you like the same teams).”
Despite Walker’s joking parenthetical, she said there’s room for some friendly rivalry in their relationship. “I still tease him about the Raiders and Broncos because I used to love Peyton Manning…he hates both!”
Game, set, match.
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