List of sports romance tropes
What are tropes?
Tropes are common themes, plot devices or motifs. In other words, they are common scenarios and patterns that often take place in a novel of a particular genre. Novels don’t need to have all these tropes to be considered a sports romance, but you’ll notice when reading sports romance novels that these tropes may turn up time and time again. For example, a common trope in sports romance novels is when a celebrity fakes a relationship for publicity.
Here is a list of sports romance tropes to use as inspiration in your own novel.
List of sports romance tropes
Sports tropes
Sports romance can feature any sport you can think of, but here are a few popular ones.
Ice hockey
Figure skating
Tennis
Soccer
Football
Baseball
Cheerleading
Swimming
American football
Australian Rules Football
Diving
Motorsport
Job tropes
Athlete
Coach
Team doctor
Team physio
Team nutritionist
Publicist
Agent
Best friend's sibling
Team owner
Roommates
Fan
Journalist
Athlete tropes
Star player and the rookie
Injured athlete
Washed-up pro gets one last chance
Golden athlete falls for the underdog
Bad boy
Celebrity athlete fakes relationship for publicity
Retired athlete returns to the sport
Retired athlete coaches the team
Celebrity athlete falls for small-town girl
Grumpy/sunshine
CEO's child takes over the team
Team sports tropes
First woman on the men's team
Sports rivalry – one athlete hates the other's sport
Love interests are on rival teams
Love interest is traded into the other's team
Rival colleges
Mixed doubles – in sports like tennis or figure skating
Rival teams
Coaches of rival teams
External motivations tropes
Olympic dreams
Win the championship or choose love
Scandal forces them together
Can't be together until the season ends
Athlete's contract or scholarship forbids relationships
One night stand with a celebrity athlete
Sports reality TV show
All the best with your sports romance novel! If you're not ready to go back to writing and feel you need more procrastination – I mean, planning – time, why don't you look at my developmental editing services or free writing advice?