Kim Kardashian: The Black Widow for Athletes

Kim Kardashian can’t seem to pull herself away from the allure of professional athletes. Ever since her relationship with Reggie Bush, Kardashian has been connected to a string of athletes, even marrying NBA player Kris Humphries for 72 days. After looking at her list of men, it occurred to me that their performances changed in relation to their dating status. While dating Kim Kardashian, each one saw a big drop in performance. Before or after, well that was a different story.

Reggie Bush: Running Back, Miami Dolphins:

Bush got together with Kardashian in 2007 until they broke up in 2010. In 2006, Bush totaled 8 touchdowns to go along with 1,307 total yards. In 2007 after meeting Kardashian early in the year, his career spiraled into steady decline. Injury, the Heisman scandal, and the end of his stay in New Orleans all coincided with the time he and Kardashian were dating. During those seasons, Bush never came close to his total yardage output in his rookie campaign and never totaled more than his 8 touchdowns. He also never played in more than 14 games in a season. Enter 2011, and Bush is with a new team and without a girlfriend. With the Miami Dolphins, Bush had a career year. He racked up a career high 1,086 yards rushing and 1,382 total yards. He also was healthy, playing in all but one game. Coincidence, maybe. But a look at the rest of the list may validate it’s more than that.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Forward, Real Madrid/Portugal

Ronaldo and Kardashian were briefly an item in April of 2010 after her split from Reggie Bush. The pair was spotted in Madrid and were confirmed as an item. That was into the 09-10 season for Read Madrid, one which saw a drop for Ronaldo. He missed three weeks due to injury (after their split) and saw his worst year in La Ligua and Champions League play since 2007. Since the 09-10 season, Ronaldo has returned to his status as the elite player he is.

Miles Austin: Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys:

Kardashian hooked up with Miles Austin from June 2010 until September 2010. Coming off a breakout season in 2009 which saw Austin post 1,320 yards with 11 touchdowns, Austin watched his numbers drop the next season and has not been right since. His 2010 campaign though still solid, saw him drop to 279 fewer total yards, 4 fewer touchdowns and a decline in yards per catch.

Kris Humphries: Power Forward, NJ Nets:

Humphries is the only athlete to see better production after shacking up with Kardashian. He saw career highs in nearly every category, and went from obscurity to a well known name. However, he is different from the others since he was not even a full time player before meeting her. His 27 minutes per game of playing time were a career high during the relationship which in turn helped elevate his stats. However, the Kardashian effect still remains to be seen. The two divorced in November and he has been out to prove that she married him only to make money. Really? The divorce is also expected to be televised and Humphries has learned the phenomena of stardom isn’t always fun. It has turned out to be a positive so far in terms of his pro career but the marriage drama and his connection to her are not over yet so a final analysis has yet to be done. Despite his minutes jumping to 34 per game, his field goal percentage is down so we need a bigger sample size to evaluate if he will be the first to break the Kardashian curse.

Kim Kardashian was since rumored to have been seen with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who’s season ended on a low note. She has also tried to tie herself into the Tim Tebow craze, allegedly trying to arrange a meeting. Tebow passed, smartly avoiding the pitfalls of those before him. Now she is trying to date Jeremy Lin?  Maybe this is all conjecture or maybe there is something to it. But one thing is for sure, the girl likes her athletes.