For years, sports romance has belonged to football and hockey. But lately, they’ve started to feel a little… played out.

Football? Too many concussions, too much off-field drama. Hockey? Too many interchangeable bros named Remy or Nik. Basketball, baseball, and even MMA pop up now and then, and F1 is having a moment, but the genre could use an infusion of fresh athletic blood.

So where should it go next? What sports could bring the high stakes, deep emotional arcs, and sizzling chemistry we crave? Here are some plots (and titles) I’d love to see:

Fault Lines (Tennis) – He was the golden boy of tennis until a US Open meltdown made him a meme. She’s a wildcard qualifier with a viral highlight reel and a chip on her shoulder. When they’re forced into a mixed doubles partnership for PR reasons, their game is all fire—whether they’re winning or smashing rackets at each other.

She Shoots, She Scores (Soccer) – The world’s most famous striker has built her career on ice-cold precision—on the field and off. But when a fearless, trash-talking rookie gets called up to the national team, their rivalry combusts into something even the tabloids can’t ignore. Is it loathing? Admiration? Lust? Or, worse, all three?

Roped In (Rock Climbing) – She’s a free solo legend with a reputation for being fearless. He’s a former competition climber who disappeared from the sport after a near-fatal fall. Now, an outdoor magazine is forcing them into a joint expedition for a documentary. He thinks she’s reckless. She thinks he’s scared. They’re both right.

Stick It to Me (Lacrosse) – A retired women’s lacrosse star has one rule: no coaching. But when a pro team offers her a job and a ridiculous salary, she takes it—if only to prove how doomed the whole thing is. Too bad her biggest skeptic is the team’s captain, a player she used to hate on principle and now might hate for completely different (and far more distracting) reasons.

Try and Take It (Rugby) – A hard-hitting flanker and a fast-talking fly-half are known for their on-field magic. Off the field, they’re absolute chaos—fistfights at practice, suspiciously long post-match cooldowns. The press assumes they despise each other. Their teammates assume they’re secretly sleeping together. The truth? Even they don’t know anymore.

The Center of Attention (Water Polo) – She was once the youngest player ever to make the Olympic team—until a doping scandal she didn’t commit took her down. Now, five years later, she’s training in obscurity, and the only person who believes in her comeback is the man who once coached her biggest rival. His career is on the line for vouching for her. So is her heart.

Tour de Flirt (Cycling) – She’s a sports journalist assigned to cover the Tour de France, and she’s sick of writing about the same five riders. He’s the peloton’s most infuriating star—brilliant on the bike, a menace off of it, and impossible to get a real interview with. When a long-haul transfer between stages throws them together, a bet turns into a challenge turns into something neither of them saw coming.

What sport would you love to see more of in romance? Any recent books that went beyond the usual playbook? I’d love to hear your recs.