Reading the article “Sporty spice: how romance fiction is adding a new dynamic to sports fandom” by Kasey Symons via The Conversation. Important statistics: “Romance fiction sales in Australia are up, with an average growth rate of 49% over three years.”
I don’t normally read romance fiction because of their HEA or “happily ever after” ending. But it is interesting to know that sports romance fiction has been gaining popularity “predominantly through ice hockey titles”. Then: “You name the sport and there will be a title for you: Formula 1, football (soccer), golf, tennis, basketball, swimming, ballet, baseball, etc, and even e-sports. And what exactly are “lacrosse” and “pickleball”?
Like any other genre out there, sports romance fiction can help “challenge social norms [and] advocate for inclusion”, and authors of diverse backgrounds are motivated to “create narratives that reflect their own experiences and identity or contribute perspectives they feel are missing in the sporting landscape”. I suppose even those who don’t like sports (e.g. me) can check out some of the titles mentioned in this article. For example, Australian author Abra Pressler’s Love and Other Scores (2023) is about the Australian Open. I am also interested in American author Esha Patel’s Offtrack (2023), which presents “a Middle Eastern woman as the first woman driver for a Formula 1 team this century”.
(Day 71 #WarmWinterRead #WWR25 via @librarieschangelives)
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 