If book-tok trends are anything to go by, the romance genre is currently experiencing a bit of a boom. Historical romances, romantic thrillers, romantasy (romance+fantasy)… you name it, and there’s a subgenre for it. But one subgenre, in particular, has been experiencing a remarkable rise in popularity – sports romances. This sudden surge in romances set within the backdrop of the sports world has taken the mainstream by surprise.

To fans of the genre, the connection between sports and romance makes perfect sense. After all, there’s a certain in-built tension to sports that adds spice to whatever romantic subplot the author creates within it. It should also come as no surprise that authors are expanding the focus of these books – moving beyond the heterosexual to explore queer narratives as well.

Also read: Smashing Rackets and Sharing Churros: A Queer Win with The Challengers!

Now here is where things get interesting. The world of sports has traditionally served as a domain dominated by the masculine and, subsequently, has been treated as a site to maintain said masculinity. Organized sports are filled with rules and practices that emphasize maintaining certain acceptable forms of masculinity and the status quo. In this context, the lack of diversity in the sports world should come as no surprise – talk or representation of queerness is almost non-existent. 

This holds especially true for sports like ice hockey and American football – two of the most popular sports featured in the sports romance subgenere, where the performance of masculinity is almost sacrosanct. The easiest and most overt proof of this is the language players use on the field to assert their dominance over one another. Homophobic and misogynistic slurs are used quite casually and frequently. And only recently are players being fined and called out for such behaviour. The reason I bring up language is because it is indicative of the underlying belief that to be perceived as either feminine or queer is an insult, especially in highly masculine spaces. Queerness is seen as transgressive and as a threat to the dominant culture of sports and society at large.

Also read: Imagining a Queer Future in Sports, One Trans Person at a Time

In today’s world, where sports is seen as a bastion of old-school masculinity and the culture that enables it, the desire for queer representation makes perfect sense. We all want to see ourselves represented, and from a purely statistical perspective, there are probably quite a few queer people hopping, skipping and jumping across our sports fields, but we are yet to acknowledge this reality.  

And so we come back to the world of sports romances. The inclusion of queerness in these fictional sports teams, with players falling in love with either each other or other auxiliary characters, takes what we already love about the subgenre to the next level. The characters are attractive, virile, and popular (thanks to being athletes), which adds glamour to the premise of the romantic relationship. The bromances are often as strong as the romances and present male relationships of all sorts in a healthier, more supportive fashion (while also setting up the possibility of companion novels featuring each of the friends).

Also read: S se Sports, Q se Queer, T se Trans

As mentioned earlier, sports inherently involve high stakes for emotional engagement. This is thanks to the constant grind of the competition and the possibility of debilitating injuries (especially in ice hockey and football), which add to the romantic tension. Moreover, the queer relationships featured in these romances are often wrapped up in the inherent fear of discovery and being outed. Both present an ever-looming source of external conflict and pressure – every author’s freaking dream! But more than that, the juxtaposition of the fear of being outed and the overwhelming fictionalized acceptance displayed by the extended cast of characters has the potential to give readers hope that this might be their reality. 

Romantic stories touch our hearts because most of us know what it’s like to be in romantic love and be loved, and even the most cynical of us will admit that it’s powerful stuff. Sports romances of the queer variety do what any good story aims to do – examine our present reality and put a spin on it. Yes, these romances are funny, sexy, and more than a little steamy, but that’s not all they are. By existing, these queer sports romances highlight our reality, which still denies full acceptance of certain identities in certain spaces, forcing people to deny their authentic selves to preserve what they’ve worked for. While this might be a bit of a stretch for those who just want to read about sexy sportsmen being sexy together for the sheer sexiness of it all, it’s worth giving a second thought. 

So, ultimately, are sports romances making sports queer? No more than they probably already are, but also… YES!