There was a moment early in Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship that seemed like it was plucked straight out of a romance book. Swift was attending her first Kansas City Chiefs game, cheering for her new lover in a box seat at Arrowhead Stadium. A camera landed on Kelce just as he looked up, noticed her, and broke out into a grin while slowly shaking his head as if to say, “I can’t believe she’s here.”
Romance author Tessa Bailey, known for her best-selling romance novels, including a new series of love stories starring athletes, couldn’t help but be captivated by the love story unfolding between Kelce and Swift. She describes Kelce’s behavior as that of a romance hero and finds the little moments between the couple to be almost too good to be true.
In the literary world, sports romances are currently having a moment of popularity. Athlete-centered romance novels have historically been more popular in self-publishing than traditional publishing, according to author KT Hoffman. The genre has seen steady popularity among romance readers, but recently gained more mainstream attention thanks to novels like “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace.
Leah Koch, co-owner of romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice, notes that sports romances spanning various sports like hockey, baseball, soccer, and basketball are gaining traction. Authors are looking to diversify the genre by featuring queer characters and new perspectives. Hoffman’s book “The Prospects” includes queer characters and aims to showcase trans joy and love at the center of the narrative.
The real-life romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce has only helped fuel the interest in sports romances. While traditional publishing moves slowly, the surge in popularity of sports romances seems to have been sparked by a combination of factors including pop culture influences like the success of “Ted Lasso” and viral book recommendations on platforms like TikTok.
Bailey and Hoffman predict that the interest in Swift and Kelce’s relationship will lead to a new surge of sports romances in the publishing world. Readers are drawn to stories where they can root for an athlete’s success on and off the field, and the real-life romance between Swift and Kelce allows them to do just that in real-time.
Overall, the rise of sports romances and the fascination with real-life athlete-pop star relationships like Swift and Kelce’s speaks to the genre’s ability to provide hope and celebrate love in a world that can often feel bleak. Whether it’s through a book or watching a rom-com unfold in real life, readers can find joy and heartwarming stories to escape into.
