It’s such a pleasure to be taking part in your Booklympics, Rachel. Thank you so much for inviting me. As my latest book, Before You, features a racing driver, I thought I’d ask the question:
Do sporting heroes make the perfect romantic heroes?
I’ve always favoured sports stars over singers or actors as my pin-ups, even as a teenager. My friends had David Cassidy on their walls, and I had footballer Emlyn Hughes, golfer Sevvy Ballesteros and cricketers Geoff Boycott and Imran Khan. Their appeal was sometimes obvious – who wouldn’t swoon at the sight of the darkly handsome Seve as he marched up the fairway, flashing his trademark dashing smile? Other times it was based less on looks than on personality; the stubborn determination of Boycott, the cheeky grin of Emlyn Hughes.
Over the years new sport stars emerged and captured my interest. Michael Owen slipping past German defenders to grab a hat-trick in that incredible England match (final score 5-1). Jonny Wilkinson and that drop goal to win the rugby World Cup for England in 2003.
Current sporting heroes include cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who first burst onto my radar when he smashed the Aussies all round the Oval with swagger and panache to help win the Ashes in 2005. And my absolute favourite, racing driver Jenson Button, who won my heart in 2009 when he won the Drivers World Championship.
So with my passion for sportsmen (and Jenson Button in particular!) perhaps it’s not surprising that Before You, features a racing driver. You see I believe sportsmen make the perfect romantic heroes.
For those of you that scoff, please allow my to outline my case.
What do professional sportsmen have in common? A single-minded determination to be the best they can be. A stubborn, never give up attitude. A flair, a strut. Something in their DNA that sets them apart from mere mortals. They’re winners, and what is sexier than a winner?
The Oxford dictionary defines hero as:
A person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
Racing drivers like Jenson Button show incredible courage on the race track, driving nose to tail with other cars at blistering speeds, knowing that even a momentary loss of concentration could lead to them spinning dangerously off the track.
To play at the top level of your sport, to represent your country at the highest level, to be the best in the world – all are outstanding achievements.
And isn’t being dedicated to the pursuit of perfection a noble quality? Professional sports men and women push themselves beyond the limits of what we would consider reasonable, all in order to beat their opponent using skill, grit and unflagging spirit. Yet when the match/race is over, they shake hands, console the loser, congratulate the victor. A dignified, and noble, end to the battle.
So by the dictionary definition, I believe we can call sportsmen heroes. As for the romantic hero, well don’t we like out heroes to have elements of ruthless, of cocky? To be of athletic build, to take risks? To show determination in the pursuit of their goal – and to win (the heroine) in the end? And aren’t they all characteristics I’ve just outlined above?
On that, dear reader, I rest my case J
Thank you Kathryn Freeman for this fabulous look at some great sporting heroes, and I have to agree that they really do work for romantic heroes too.
About Kathryn Freeman
A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.
Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman
Before You book link:
Giveaway - Win a paperback of The Search For Truth (Open Internationally)
Giveaway open Internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 22/8/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.
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