'I went to a sports dating event and immediately found out why they're better than dating apps.'

If you've been around TikTok or a single person these past few months, you would've come across the idea that dating apps are out, and sports matches are in. 

The trend started with running clubs, with people of all genders and sexual preferences documenting how they're done with trying to find people to date online, and are now instead trying out different activities (like running) to nail down a romantic partner organically.

Watch: Horoscopes & Dating. Post continues below.

They back this idea up by saying if they don't find a date, they at least make some friends and have a newfound hobby.

Personally, running disagrees with me, but I was sure there was another way to meet people that didn't include heavy breathing and sweat. 

In the past two years, I've become what some people would call a sports fan. It started with the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, and then continued when Australia hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. From then, I started following the NRL, the WNBL and the AFL.

As a straight woman with eyes, I was convinced that, if you were single, you would 100 per cent find a potential date if you attended sporting games. And I was proven right when a few of my coworkers attended a Sydney Swans game and went around asking men if they were single.

They posted the results on TikTok and the video gained more than 100,000 views, was shared on daytime TV, and received hundreds of comments, with people tagging their friends saying they should go to the next game.

@mamamiaaus *sends to girl’s group chat immediately* @afl #datingapp #dating #single #swans #afl #runclub #datinghumor #boyfriendsoftiktok #getyourman #relationship #livanddolph @Sydney Swans ♬ Cute heartwarming children pet sports day - SOUND BANK

Since so many people were keen to meet someone at a game, Mamamia decided to make it official and host an event with the Sydney Swans.

Match Day Mingle, presented by Listerine, was an event where we encouraged people who were single (and people who wanted to wingman/woman their single friends) to come along for some food and drinks, and to watch the game. It sounds very simple — and it worked.

Wanting to investigate exactly why meeting people at a sporting match is better than meeting someone on a dating app , I went to the event for very serious research purposes only (and, okay, a few drinks). Here's what I found out...

The men I talked to didn't enjoy being on dating apps.

As I was working the room, I asked a few single attendees if they also used dating apps. Most of them said yes, but all the men I spoke to said that they hated being on the apps, with some of them admitting they rarely check them.

"I'm on some of the apps, but I don't really use it, I feel like I can't really show my real self on a profile," said Andrew*.

"I've used apps in the past but I find them quite discouraging as so many conversations lead to nowhere," added James*.

Group settings take the edge off.

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I noticed that the conversations between potential matches at the event were different to the conversations you would have if you were on a first date. 

Instead of talking about how many siblings you have or what you do for work, the conversations I was (creepily) eavesdropping on were much more casual, with groups of people getting to know each other at the same time. 

It felt like friends catching up and I could tell that everyone felt comfortable and excited to meet new people.

When you go on a first date with someone you match with on an app, there's this added pressure of it being a date. But when you meet someone in person, you're just meeting them. Neither of you have the subconscious thoughts and expectations about it being "a date" and wondering whether you'll see them again or not.

If anything, you're more present, with fewer expectations, and that subconscious voice is simply saying, "This person is nice."

You don't get attached.

Something that felt completely normal in the moment (but now looking back seems a bit weird) was the blatant acknowledgement of the idea of "it's not exclusive until it's exclusive".

Let me explain.

When you go on a first date with someone, you're probably both dating other people as well — but it's not like you talk about them. You both just pretend that what happens outside of your date... isn't happening.

This did not happen at the Swans dating event. I would watch two people really hit it off, and then swiftly move on to other people. I asked one guy who'd been talking to someone for about an hour if he got her number, and he told me, "Yes, but I want to talk to other people as well, I don't want to put all my eggs into one basket."

I always thought that swapping digits with someone and then watching them swap digits with someone else in front of you would've made me feel weird, but it made the entire event more fun and casual, because everyone was doing it.

There's a such thing as knowing too much.

Most dating apps require you to make a pretty in-depth profile of yourself, which means you actually know quite a lot about someone before you meet them in person.

Gone are the days when you simply chose a cute photo of yourself and waited for the matches to roll in. You can now include things like message prompts, your religion, how much you drink, if you do drugs, what type of relationship you're looking for, your height, if you're a dog or cat person, your ethnicity and more.

Although these could be seen as great ways to find someone who shares the same values as you without wasting your time on a date, a few people at the event told me they found themselves attracted to people who they would never have matched with on a dating app.

"The most attractive feature in a man for me has always been their height. I'm pretty tall so I only ever match with guys on dating apps who are over six feet tall. I've now had to reconsider this, because I met a great guy today who was much shorter than six feet," said Sarah*. 

Added Maddie*, "I only ever dated men my age or older, but I've met some really interesting younger people here and I couldn't even tell that they were younger than me from the conversations we were having."

It's clear most people at the event had better "luck" with people they'd met in person, than they do going on a first date with someone they matched with on an app. 

Even though not everyone found someone they liked, there was a higher chance of them going home having still enjoyed themselves amongst friends, food and drinks in a casual setting, compared to going home after an unfavourable one-on-one date with a stranger.

If you want more culture opinions by Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

Feature image: Supplied.