Whether you’re a fanatic football fan, hungry for hockey, crazed about curling, or you can’t even tell the difference between a touchdown and a goalie, we can all agree that no matter the sport, athletes are downright hot. Between the long workouts, toned muscles, and sexy uniforms, it’s hard to say no when a sports superstar comes knocking. But since some of us just don’t have the attention span long enough to last through nine innings of baseball (I mean, I’d do a lot for Derek Jeter, but who has the time for that?), we have to turn to the silver screen for our regular dosage of entertaining acts of athleticism. So sit back, relax, and check out HC’s list of our favorite fictional athletes, no shin pads necessary.
Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights
Point blank: Tim Riggins is hot. Between the tousled hair, Texan twang to his voice, and with his blood alcohol level consistently above the legal limit, Tim is that sexually driven sensual high school football player that everyone wants to either be or be with. But his unreasonably good looks aside, Tim’s a good guy deep down. He falls for the good girl with strong Christian values, Lyla Garrity, and she’s the only girl in the town of Dillon who could settle down with the most non-committal of them all. Time and time again, Tim shows just how big his heart is—from making a major sacrifice for his brother and his family, to taking lonely girl Becky under his wing—and that he’d put himself out on the line for just about anyone he cares about. How could we possibly resist that… and his plaid shirt-and-cowboy boots wardrobe?
Teddy Montgomery from 90210
A tennis player who practically went pro before graduating high school? Sure, we’ll take him! While we obviously love his skills on the court, there’s no resisting his allure when he puts the racquet down, either. After struggling with his sexuality for a long time (read: a few episodes—TV doesn’t have time for years of turmoil), he was finally able to gain the courage to come out to himself and his friends. But that’s not necessarily what makes this tennis star so special. He’s one of our faves because of his sensitive side and willingness to be everyone’s GBFF when they need him. Hello, he even offered his ex-girlfriend (whom he dumped to explore the wonderful world of men) his sperm so that she could get pregnant—if that’s not friendship, then I don’t know what is.
Noah Puckerman from Glee
In all honesty, who doesn’t love a faux-hawk (and you’re totally lying to yourself if you disagree)? On top of that, we all not-so-secretly love bad boys. So it’s only natural that we fell for Glee’s resident bad***, Puck. Even when he was throwing Kurt (and his Marc Jacobs) into the dumpster or tossing slushies in the faces of “losers,” there was always something about the Varsity football player that drew us in. Outside of the locker room (and a season or two in), Puck really starts to shine—his heart is in the right place… and it’s not at the bottom of the pool he’s cleaning. He offered to help Quinn take care of their baby, stood by his new gleeky friends and faced their enemies head on, and he’s been the cutest older brother, helping his half-brother navigate through high school and attempt to understand girls. Bonus points: he can make any song sound sexy, seriously.
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A.C. Slater from Saved By The Bell
Slater’s an all-around jock. There’s literally no sport this kid can’t successfully tackle. He wrestles, plays basketball and football, runs track, and swims. Five sports in three seasons? Nothing’s impossible for this kid. Albert Clifford (yep) seriously makes a name for himself inside the halls of Bayside. His dimples are to die for and his hair is always perfectly maintained, whether he’s dunking in chlorine or being held in a chokehold. Some people are just born lucky…
Austin Tucker from Make It Or Break It
Who ever said gymnastics was just for girls was seriously wrong. Welcome Olympic gold medalist, Austin. While he’s immediately framed as a player with girls flocking to his every move, twist, flip, or handstand, he ultimately proves audiences wrong when he gives us a sneak peak at his compassionate side by helping his love interest, Kaylie, through her eating disorder—getting her parents involved and being a rock for her during treatment. He can be a tool, but when it comes down to it, he’s willing to do anything for his girl. We couldn’t resist this medal-winning, bad-boy-turned-slightly-whipped character if we tried.
Lucas Scott from One Tree Hill
Lucas is the epitome of every girl’s fantasy. He’s adorable, charming, athletic, romantic, and sweet. But what really won us over is his dedication to his family and friends. While rocking on the basketball court with a damaged heart (literally), Lucas still managed to clinch the state championship title and spew out cliché after cliché that had our hearts swelling, “It’s you. When all my dreams come true, the one I want next to me. It’s you. It’s you Peyton.” Seriously now, in all his cheesy glory, Lucas knows how to deliver… no matter the pressure.
Buddy from Air Bud
…Because nothing is cuter than a dog that can play basketball and football. Talk about a talented retriever.