By Ella Harvey
When most people watch sports, it may be because it’s their favorite team, because their parents went to college there, or because they’re supporting the hometown team. However, there’s another reason you may not have thought about: how attractive the athletes are.
Recently, we asked students their opinion on the most attractive sport and who their athletic crushes are.
So what makes a sport “attractive?” Is it the sportsmanship, the physique of the players, or their athletic abilities? I decided to ask around to see what people had to say about it, leaving their names out of it, knowing that this can be quite a shyness-inducing and controversial topic.
I spoke with a number of people and soccer is a popular choice. “Soccer and lacrosse because there is running and fitness,” one person said. “Soccer because they are sweating and moving and the uniforms are tea,” another added.
On the survey, many sports were combined as equally attractive, with 41% of survey takers picking basketball, baseball, and lacrosse.
“Once the basketball shoes come on, my eyes are drawn!” one student wrote. “Basketball is one of the hardest sports to be good at, so when someone is good, it instantly draws my eyes. Even if someone is not conventionally attractive, if they play basketball, it’s GAME OVER.”
Skills aside, the real appeal seemed to be basketball players’ physiques, “because they are tall,” one person said. Another, “because they gotta be quick and tall.” Someone else narrowed their focus: “Basketball, because Lebron.”
With basketball, baseball, and lacrosse in a three-way tie, everyone also had opinions about why some are more attractive than others.
One girl stated, “Lacrosse because they are more underground and nonchalant, unlike baseball. Baseball is overhyped. The sport is also more interesting.” Another respondent replied with just, “Lacrosse, self-explanatory.”
Now, we will never know what is so self-explanatory about lacrosse, but we can assume at least one self-explanatory part is that “they are sweaty.” Wow. Lacrosse can also be quite an aggressive sport; most of the time, players must be defensive and muscular to succeed, which may help explain why the sport and its players are considered attractive. (I tried lacrosse in middle school, and I can safely say that aggression does not come universally in the lacrosse player pack, and after every practice, I had grass stains and bruises everywhere…from other players’ aggression.)
There were also many opinions about baseball. Popular baseball crushes were Dansby Swanson (but only when he was on the Braves), Matt Olson, Max Fried (also when he was only on the Braves), and Shohei Ohtani.
“Baseball is the most attractive sport because you have to have a lot of intellectual skill and you have to be strong and fast,” one girl told me. Another girl stated, “It is not just their looks that draw you in, but they have charisma and passion for the game.” A friend next to her disagreed: “Baseball is at the bottom. I hate how tight and dirty their pants are.”
Not surprisingly (given that we live in the south and it is practically a ritual), football was ranked as the most attractive sport to play by around 20% of the people who filled out the form.
In the poll, one person cited football “because it demands a lot of physical endurance, time management, and determination. Many sports are slow, but football highlights leadership, trust, and teamwork.”
While you have to admire the high-minded perspective there, not everyone is so classy. “Football, because they usually have muscles,” a student wrote. I asked the girl what she would think if they played both football and baseball: “You just win. That’s just it. It’s over, that is very attractive.”
The overall votes for football as the most attractive also translate to their athlete crushes. Of the 37 people mentioned as an athlete crush, 15 were football players, including Joe Burrow, Jaxson Dart, and Arch Manning. The biggest athlete crush of all was New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Now, despite Drake being 23 and recently married to his wife, who he has been dating since seventh grade, there is a lot of love for Mr. Maye.
I interviewed one girl who is a Drake Maye (and his wife Ann Micheal Maye) fanatic, just wanting her to talk about what makes him so great. Her response, “Can I talk about Drake Maye? Where do I even begin?!” she replied in probably the most fantasized tone I’ve ever heard.
“Well, first of all, he is taking the Patriots to their first AFC Championship for the first time since 2018, he is bringing back the Patriots dynasty. He is an all-around great person, and he is very humble in all of his interviews; he is just a sweetie,” she said.
As we talked, she came to the realization that she doesn’t even have a crush on him; she just admires Drake and Ann Michael Maye’s relationship. “I think he’s not even my athlete crush,” she said. “I just love him and his wife.”
She is not the only person who admires him (and apparently his wife). There is now a social media account called @DrakeMayeLover (has over 335,000 followers on Instagram) and a new account @AnnMichealMayeLover. Each account discusses the media’s love and appreciation for Drake and the couple. One super fan wrote on Instagram: “If you’re ever sad, just remember that the earth is 4.53 billion years old and you’ve somehow managed to exist at the same time as Drake Maye.”
Along with Drake Maye, University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson received numerous votes.
One girl told me that, “On TikTok, I have a favorites section of Arch Manning edits, that me and my friend send to each other.” If you are confused with what an edit is, it’s basically a mix of short videos of the person, with a dreamy filter and music.
If you’ve been wondering, women athletes didn’t get many mentions (perhaps a story worth investigating), but gymnasts Livvy Dunne and Suni Lee were both popular options.
And not everyone is obsessed with classic sports. One person wrote:“Archery, because it reminds me of simpler times.” There were also answers like squash, boxing, cricket, and ping pong. Perhaps this one was due to the popularity of the Timothee Chalamet movie, or maybe just the senior guys out in the Williams Plaza.
