Athletes' best online dating advice

— -- True love (and even far less than that) has always been hard to find -- but modern technology is changing the game. ESPN The Magazine's Sam Alipour talked to athletes from a range of sports to get their take on dating in the digital age. Here is some of their best advice:

1. Choose the right approach. For Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, who tried Tinder four years ago just for laughs, that meant using the right screen name ("chickmagnet4life") and having a sense of humor.  "Make them laugh. Just Google 'Tinder pickup lines.'" 

2. Don't limit your options. According to the athletes Alipour interviewed, dating apps aren't the only way to connect; Tinder runs a distant third in popularity to Twitter and Instagram. "I hate to admit it, but if it wasn't for Twitter, I probably wouldn't have reached out," said NHRA Funny Car star Courtney Force, who met her husband, IndyCar's Graham Rahal, through the platform. "I'm really shy, and Twitter is a low-pressure way to connect."

3. Be wary of what you send. From the "DM fail" to "the screenshot," athletes know that one wrong move on social media could land them a place in internet infamy. 

4. And be wary of who you send it to. One good rule? "Get her on FaceTime within 36 hours," 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor says. It's one way athletes protect themselves from catfishing.

5. When in doubt, follow the sage advice of Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell. "After 'hello,' check ID, because as Russell says, 'a lot of the girls online are younger than they say they are'; bring your special someone back to a hotel, where cameras and security watch your back; and check the phone at the door lest you end up like James Harden and Julian Edelman, just two examples of athletes becoming unwitting subjects of selfies while asleep."