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10 Athletes Who Dated Up

Sports Illustrated confirmed yesterday that Francisco Cervelli is dating telenovela star Patricia De Leon. It’s a bit of good news for Cervelli, who was recently demoted to Triple A by the Yankees, and I don’t know a whole lot about telenovelas, but it looks like De Leon’s star is on the rise. Good for Cervelli!

This isn’t the first time an athlete has dated someone who’s either a) more successful or b) markedly more attractive than they are. Here are 10 other pro athletes who also dated up.

1. Matt Kemp

Matt Kemp is plenty handsome, but Rihanna’s profile was slightly higher than his when they dated. Slightly.

2. JJ Barea

JJ Barea maybe be the point guard for the 2011 NBA Championship winning Dallas Mavericks, but Zuleyka Rivera is a former Miss Universe. Were the Mavs champions of the universe? They were not.

3. Chris Kaman

Chris Kaman is a little awkward, and he also traps and kills cats. He married the adorable Emilie VilleMonte in 2010, however, and they look plenty happy together.

4. Shelden Williams

“Shelden Williams sometimes hears fans yell stuff like, ‘Your wife’s a better player than you.’”

5. Alex Rodriguez

Obviously.

6. Mike Fisher

Also duh.

7. Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez and pro golfer Michelle Wie used to date when they were students at Stanford…around the same time that Wie made $20 million in salary and endorsements.

8. Tony Parker

How’d you botch this one, Tony?

9. Daniel Van Buyten

Daniel van Buyten plays soccer for Bayern Munich, and is definitely maybe a vampire in his spare time? His wife Celine seems pretty normal, although being married to a Bayern Munich player means having to go out in this getup fairly often.

10. Tim Tebow

This is generally true all the time, but especially this time.

[Photos via Annie Fedrigo, Sports Illustrated, WHAM 1180, Starpulse, T-Z Online]