Sport can reveal a lot about someone: their routine, what matters to them, and how they like to spend their downtime. But when it comes to dating, is every sporty lifestyle really a green flag?

We wanted to know which sports are most likely to give people the dating ‘ick’, so we asked women to react to fictional dating profiles, each featuring different sporty lifestyles. The results are in – and we’ve got a clear ranking of the sports most likely to get swiped away, plus the reasons behind it.

The Ickiest Sports, Ranked

So, which sports are most likely to make someone swipe left? Here’s how they ranked when it comes to dating appeal:

• Football – 78% swipe away

Football fans topped the list for getting swiped away. With matchdays taking over weekends and loyalties running deep, many women felt that a football-focused lifestyle can be time-consuming and inflexible. Plans often end up revolving around fixtures, pub trips and those all-important post-match debates.

Mecca Bingo has spoken to Jessica Alderson from So Syncd to share why football culture can be such a dealbreaker when it comes to dating:

“People often associate football with a level of devotion to a team that takes over other priorities. Devotion is a great quality, but how it shows up matters. For some women, “football” translates to weekends planned around matches, hours spent in the pub and free time spent watching TV. Of course, not everyone who likes football fits this stereotype, but we naturally fill in gaps based on patterns, especially when making quick decisions.”

• Horse racing – 73% swipe away

Horse racing really split opinions. Some people see race days as sociable and a bit glamorous, but others found the lifestyle demanding. With frequent trips, big events like Cheltenham Festival and a packed social calendar, it can feel like a lot to fit in.

• Golf – 65% swipe away

Golf has a reputation for being both time-consuming and expensive. Long days on the course, weekend commitments, and the cost of the sport meant golfers were among the most likely to get swiped away.

Jess also points out that sports like horse racing and golf can send out signals about lifestyle priorities that might make some potential partners think twice:

“Both horse racing and golf can trigger assumptions about lifestyle, personality and values. Horse racing can be associated with risk-taking tendencies, and golf can signal full days away, status-driven networking and limited availability. Equally, some people just aren’t into the sport and don’t want to spend their free time around it.”

• Rugby – 59% swipe away

Rugby also landed in ‘ick’ territory for a lot of people. Busy training schedules, weekend matches and team socials all added up to the feeling that dating a rugby fan might mean the sport comes first.

• Running – 56% swipe away

Even running wasn’t safe from the ick. While it’s usually seen as healthy and disciplined, those early starts, long training sessions and race-filled weekends were enough to put some women off. It just goes to show that even ‘green flag’ hobbies can sometimes tip into ick territory.

Why do sports trigger dating icks?

But it wasn’t just the sport itself that made people swipe away – it was what the sport said about someone’s lifestyle and priorities.

When asked what influenced their decision to swipe away, women cited:

• Time commitment (34%) – The biggest turn-off overall, with many wary of hobbies that dominate evenings and weekends.
• The sport itself (31%) – Some sports simply came with stereotypes that were hard to ignore.
• Personality vibe (31%) – Whether it looked overly intense, competitive or all-consuming.
• Lifestyle or routine (30%) – Rigid schedules and lack of flexibility were a major concern.
• Social life and weekends (22%) – When sport dictates how every weekend looks, it can feel limiting.
• Money or spending habits (13%) – Costly hobbies raised questions about priorities and compatibility.

So… is being sporty a dating red flag?

Not always. The results show it’s less about playing sport and more about how much space it takes up in someone’s life. If a hobby leaves room for balance, flexibility and time together, it’s much less likely to be seen as an ick than one that takes over everything.

Jess states when fitness stops being attractive and starts becoming a dating turn-off:

“Fitness is generally seen as attractive because it indicates health, discipline and self-respect. It can stop being attractive when it signals a lifestyle that doesn’t align with what the other person is looking for. Say if someone is more book-ish and prefers quieter evenings and long conversations, a fitness-centred lifestyle may feel like a mismatch (wrongly or rightly). It can also be a turn-off if it signals perfectionism or control rather than health and enjoyment.”

So, when it comes to dating, the biggest turn-off isn’t fitness, passion or ambition – it’s feeling like there’s no space left in the calendar for anything else.

Note: Survey conducted by OnePulse on January 17^th, 2026, with 1,000 UK women aged 18+.