Sports romance: Why I’m writing about American Football

February 22, 2025 | General

The text says "Sports romance: Why I'm writing about American Football". The background is blue with a purple print of a football, a heart doodle and a sports strategy doodle. There are two couples: a tall man with light skin and dark shoulder length hair in a dark blue NFL outfit, with his arms crossed, and a shorter plus-size woman with light skin and long brown hair wearing a light blouse and a teal skirt. A tall man with light skin and short brown hair in a dark blue NFL outfit with his arm around the shoulders of a shorter, plus-size woman with light skin and purple shoulder-length hair, wearing an orange blouse and jeans.

This year, I’m working on a new book series that is all about sports romance: the Seattle Strike Series. Not just any sports, but American Football. I want to tell you more about what drew me into this world, and what you can expect from my new series.

First, let’s rewind a little. Romance has been my love ever since I can remember. Every time I became a fan of a book or a TV show, the romantic side plot was my favorite part. But I didn’t read my first proper romance book until my mid-20s: Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts. It blew my mind to learn a genre existed where the whole point was to witness people falling love, with a Happily Ever After guaranteed.

Do you want to hear what book first got me into sports romance? It was a few years after that, when I dived into the world of romance books. One of the first ones I devoured at the time was The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata. This was my first encounter with this sub-genre and I’ve been a convert since!

All the best tropes come out to play

Sports romance is fertile ground for my most beloved narratives. One of these is the Found Family trope. I’m a sucker for stories that include it! In this romance niche, characters find their chosen family in the team and the relationships born within it. Players challenge each other as much as they support one another, and I’m here to see it.

What makes writing in this world so appealing is that you can fit it a variety of other tropes. I can write Friends to Lovers as much as Roommates to Lovers or a Workplace Romance, because it all fits within the realm of sports. At the same time, love stories set in this domain allow me to explore non-romantic fantasies that fascinate me. For example, I can write about fame, or being so good at something that you’re well known for your skills.

In the case of American Football in particular, I love the idea of exploring fandom as well. I know what it’s like to be a fan of books and TV shows: a fan’s devotion is both alluring and familiar to me. But that’s not the only reason I picked this sport in particular.

Why I’m writing about American Football

A few things led me to choose the NFL world for the Seattle Strike Series. Some of them are legitimate… and some of them are much more basic, not going to lie!

One of the fun reasons why I’m drawn to this sport is because I can actually have it playing in the background while I write and not get overwhelmed. I generally understand what is happening, and the players draw the eye. Like I had character say in The Game, I personally enjoy the aesthetics of the game. Those uniforms have always been alluring to me!

Mainly, though, I love that the athletes are big and tall. I imagine they could handle a big girl with no issues! This is one of the few sports where we can find plus-size men, and most teams have players of diverse backgrounds. Since I write stories featuring characters of diverse body size and ethnicities who are desired, celebrated and get their happily ever after, all these things about American Football influenced my choice.

Starting my own sports romance series

Even though I don’t enjoy shipping real life couples, I was one of those people smitten by Travis Kelce’s friendship bracelet Meet Cute idea. Don’t get me wrong, I do not plan to write a story based on his relationship with Taylor Swift. But it did get me thinking of an athlete falling head over heels in love.

Some of it is the nostalgia I feel about reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me for the first time. As a writer, though, it’s also because I like to spark creativity by changing things up. Starting a new series always brings a breath of fresh air to my writing, and I’m excited for what this new series will do.

With the Seattle Strike Series, I’m writing my favorite things: heroes that fall hard and fast; headstrong heroines; diverse stories and plus-size bodies; found family and cozy feelings. I’ve already fallen in love with these characters and this world, so I can’t wait until you do, too.