Gen Z’s TV favorites are all sports-centered romances lately. Sports-centered dramas have been having success with this gen, like Heartstopper, Off Campus, Finding Her Edge, and—who could forget—Heated Rivalry. Joining the lineup is Netflix’s new hit show Crew Girl, centered on a high school girl who joins the boys’ rowing team and, of course, starts crushing on two of her fellow teammates. But there may be a surprising reason this trope is prevailing: competition is replacing sex as the emotional and physical centerpiece in romance plotlines for Gen Z, with the intensity of the sports amplifying the yearning to be closer outside the locker room. Time reports that because Gen Z is anxious about real intimacy, sports act as a transitional middle ground to ease the tension. Crew, hockey, and figure skating offer grounded, physical connection that Gen Z is searching for in romance, and sex doesn’t necessarily need to be part of the main storyline. Plus, it creates relatability over fantasy and frames these shows as antidotes to digital isolation. (Time)
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