Line #121 Main/LovableJock


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3	%% This example list has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in correct alphabetical order by title.
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9	[[quoteright:350:[[Series/TheMeredithVieiraShow https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/athlete_and_bullied_kid_3.jpg]]]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:"It's gonna be okay, man. Just tell me who they were...so I can go beat the crap out of them."]]
11
12	The JerkJock's answer to the LovableAlphaBitch or the ClassPrincess. It is typical in most high school settings to have the jock as the bad guy but this trope is a method of portraying jocks in a positive light. After all, people don't automatically turn into sociopaths the moment they join a sports team.
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14	The Lovable Jock differs from the LovableAlphaBitch in that while the AlphaBitch can still be a bully to everyone except the main character to count, the Lovable Jock will be a NiceGuy by default. Though sometimes connected to one, he is rarely the [[BigManOnCampus main man of the high school]] and will usually be in contrast to an actual JerkJock. If the JerkJock is blond, the Lovable Jock may be brunet(te) or redheaded, though blond(e) Lovable Jocks are common too. [[BewareTheNiceOnes But that isn't a license to try anything funny on him or anyone he cares about]]; remember, being a jock means lots of exercise and quite often a lot of muscle. If anyone dares to try BullyingADragon or attacking his {{Protectorate}}, he ''will'' [[CurbStompBattle wipe the grass]] with them.
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16	In many a sports setting, a Lovable Jock is TheHero (and TheLeader if he has a team) of these stories by default. If not, expect him to be TheLancer or even a friendly sidekick. Both the Lovable Jock and his team will also be countered by an OpposingSportsTeam in some scenarios. A {{Face}} in ProfessionalWrestling is usually this, although he's not immune to using harder methods as aforementioned if someone messes him off.
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18	A variation can come where the Jock is merely [[DumbJock too stupid]] [[DumbIsGood to be genuinely spiteful]], in which case compare KindheartedSimpleton. At other points, the Jock is a GeniusBruiser and AcademicAthlete, and gets on with nerds and other sorts because he's capable of holding a conversation with them, and may himself be geeky about the sport he plays. Doubly so if the sport he plays is UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}}, in which case see GameOfNerds.
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20	Female [[PomPomGirl cheerleaders]] or [[PassionateSportsGirl athletes]] who are not the AlphaBitch can go here instead of LovableAlphaBitch since that trope is reserved for the actual {{Alpha Bitch}}es. Speaking of female characters, a LesbianJock can be an example too. The Jock need not be on the ''football'' team, but on any other sports team in any setting. Both are TruthInTelevision.
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22	Compare and often overlaps with TheQuarterback, BigManOnCampus, and GentleGiant.
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	!!Male examples:
27
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31	%%* Masaki Miyamoto from ''Manga/Amakusa1637'', with his girlfriend Natsuki Hayami as a female example.
32	* The new Subterra brawler in ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}: Gundalian Invaders'' is a football player, with the same football team as cheerleader and ''previous'' Subterra brawler Juli.
33	* ''Manga/BlueFlag'' has Touma Mita, the BigManOnCampus. He is the star of the school's baseball team with many women fawning over him. He is also a complete sweetheart who is nice even to the people that others seem to ostracize.
34	* Tsubasa Ohzora from ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' is possibly the TropeCodifier in anime and manga. He's a handsome and popular ChildProdigy in regards to soccer, but he works ''very'' hard for his success, truly loves the sport, and cares very much for his teammates and his friends.
35	* Touya and Yukito from ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' are sports stars at their high school. Both are very nice people overall, but Yukito is a NiceGuy while Touya is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
36	* ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' is basically what happens when you take the most socially challenged kids in Japan and make them play team sports. Kurita is probably the most prominent, though there's also Sakuraba, Mizumachi, and Yamato.
37	* The majority cast of ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'' are technically all jocks, with some----particularly our two main characters, being more passionate than others. And it is an absolute joy to watch these characters interact and play the game that they all love.
38	%%* Nakatsu of ''Manga/HanaKimi''.
39	* ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'':
40	** Subverted with Kuroko, who is a very nice and polite individual, but lacks the athleticism to fit this trope. Even with all his improvements, he's still below the level of the average player (for the most part).
41	** Kagami falls into this from time to time after he becoming a full-fleshed member of Seirin. He's respectful to his coach and senpai, he's nice to his fellow first-year teammates and supportive to Kuroko. He's still a very aggressive player with a hot temperament though.
42	** Kiyoshi, one of the Five Uncrowned Kings, is always friendly and cheerful (unless he's pissed) and very supportive towards his teammates, and puts the safety of his team above his own.
43	** Kise, while occasionally very arrogant, becomes this soon after his debut and losing to Seirin. Even when the members of Generation of Miracles started to become {{Jerk Jock}}s, Kise never became a full jerk and he was always nice to Kuroko.
44	** Aomine, the Ace of the Generation of Miracles, was originally this, encouraging Kuroko to continue practicing and he was overall a very friendly and happy individual. Then he felt LonelyAtTheTop and descended into a JerkJock. Even after mellowing out, he has never fully returned to being a Lovable Jock.
45	* ''Anime/MashinHeroWataruSeries'': Wataru is an academically average kid whose talents lie in sports. One of the reasons the Dragon God chose Wataru to be their world's savior was by checking the number of awards he received from sports competitions that were laid out in his bedroom. On top of that, he is an AllLovingHero.
46	* Basketball player Wakamatsu in ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'' is friendly to everyone he meets, even LovingBully Seo. His way of trying to express his annoyance is to glare at her, but since he doesn't want to be rude he also greets her at the same time.
47	* ''Manga/SlamDunk'' has Akira Sendoh and Kenji Fujima. Both are high-ranked aces in their school teams and very popular among girls, but remain polite and relatively down-to-earth.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Comic Books]]
51	* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'':
52	** "Moose" Mason. Originally he was batshit insane and was universally feared by the entire school (even some ''teachers'') since he would savagely beat anyone who even looked in Midge's general direction. He's [[TookALevelInKindness mellowed considerably]] as the [[CharacterizationMarchesOn comics moved on]], so long as no one is [[CrazyJealousGuy trying to steal his girl]].
53	** Archie himself, who is portrayed as playing baseball, football, and basketball, although he's significantly less talented at it than Moose. He's still known as one of the nicest guys in Riverdale, walking disaster or not.
54	* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': The story "Wish I May..." has Chet Markham, quarterback of the high school football team, and the only non-JerkJock who tries repeatedly to befriend TeenGenius EvilNerd Simon Siezmanski.
55	* ''ComicBook/Dynamo5'': While Gage shows signs of being a JerkJock in the first issue, he's actually a nice enough guy, and is the first of the five siblings to start bonding with another, namely Hector, the geeky one in the group. In issue 2, they talk about girls while doing surveillance, and later Gage is very supportive of Hector's performance in the fight against Whiptail.
56	* Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, from the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', who used to be a star football player in high school. He became fast friends with the intellectual Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, once the two of them met in college.
57	* Ronnie Raymond, one half of ''ComicBook/{{Firestorm\|DCComics}}'', as well as his teammate Jefferson Jackson. Gerry Conway wanted to invert the Spider-Man set-up, so he made the protagonist a likable but aloof jock, who is hassled by a NerdyBully. Modern adaptations like the ComicBook/New52 tend to make Ronnie [[DarkerAndEdgier a lot less lovable]].
58	* Kyle Mizoguchi of ''ComicBook/GothamAcademy'' is a popular tennis star who is also caring, respectful and kind and willing to make an embarrassment of himself in front of the entire school to help his sister and her friends get away with escaping from the school chaperones to go looking for answers to one of their family mystery.
59	* In ''ComicBook/{{Robin\|1993}}'' Tim finds his burgeoning relationship with Zoanne threatened by a really kind tennis player and his own frequent absences. Tim can't even be mad at the guy since he goes out of his way to help Tim improve his tennis game without ever being condescending about Tim's shortcomings in the sport and the fact that he doesn't actually ask Zo out since he's aware there's something undecided going on between her and Tim.
60	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': While Flash Thompson is arguably the TropeCodifier of the JerkJock, he actually [[CharacterDevelopment transitioned]] into becoming this after he and Peter started attending college. Even his high-school self, though often cruel and petty, had his moments. For all his bullying of Peter, Flash's admiration for Spider-Man was genuine and went deep enough that he remained a vocal Spidey supporter even when the rest of New York was convinced that Spidey was a murderer.
61	* In contrast to most of the character's history, Creator/JohnByrne [[RetCon retconned]] [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Superman]]'s alter ego Clark Kent to have been a football star in high school. Being Clark, he was still a [[NiceGuy nice guy,]] of course, but in [[MediaNotes/TheIronAgeOfComicBooks the late '80s and into the '90s,]] he was depicted as actually having been both popular and visibly athletic in his teen years.
62	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': GentleGiant Beast was an athlete in high school before he grew his fur.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
66	* During his football-playing days, BD from ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'' tended to oscillate between this and JerkJock.
67	* Minor character Ox from ''ComicStrip/{{Luann}}'' is a good-hearted [[DumbMuscle simple big guy]] who protects would-be bullying victims by [[BullyHunter threatening the bully]].
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Fan Works]]
71	* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Nice guy Bolt goes on daily conditioning runs, is able to do full backflips, and remains in top shape well into old age. In "The Wedding Reception," Mittens refers to Bolt as "the closest thing I've ever seen to Bo Jackson in the dog world." Specific examples:
72	** In "The Ski Trip," Bolt is able to downhill ski by standing on all fours on a pair of skis (with Mittens and Rhino in tow) despite never having attempted this before. His somewhat awkwardly executed success is attributed to "his crouched stance and decent sense of balance."
73	** In "The Baseball Game," Bolt is pressed into playing duty while serving as honorary team {{Mascot}} mascot. He scores the winning run as a pinch-runner for an injured player (demonstrating significant speed and leaping ability), and later clinches victory when he pulls off a triple play manning second base despite lacking a glove and the ability to throw a baseball properly (showing alertness and quick reflexes in addition to the qualities mentioned above).
74	* ''Fanfic/ADanceOnTheMats'': Anon is a tough fighter and throws some shade, but he is a decent guy who refuses to hurt someone severely and gives honest praise to his opponents.
75	* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsAFairlyOddFriendship'' has Rumble, is the captain of Canterlot's youth track team. Despite Timmy's fears that he would be a mean snob, he's quite friendly and generous to Timmy.
76	* ''Fanfic/GleeReprise'' has Tony, who's on the football team, is a pretty down-to-earth guy, and tries to keep the disparate club members from destroying each other near the fic's beginning.
77	* ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'' gives this role to [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Krem Aclassi]], who is also TheQuarterback and the BigManOnCampus.
78	* ''FanFic/TotalDramaLegacy'':
79	** Storm. In contrast to the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series' previous [[PassionateSportsGirl tomboyish and athletic girls]] Eva and Jo, Storm is a NiceGirl with a heart as big as her muscles.
80	** Wayne. He may be a DumbJock, but he means well in spite of his stupidity.
81	** Due to the AdaptationalNiceGuy treatment he receives in this fic, Lightning is this.
82	* In ''Fanfic/UnderTheNorthernLights'', Prince Vigg can be an immature brat but is usually quite a nice guy. His greatest interest seems to be winter sports, mostly skiing both cross-country and downhill. He and his friends have apparently invented the snowboard as well.
83	* In the ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8552991/1/XXY-Evolution XXY:Evolution]]'', where most of the characters are [[RuleSixtyThree genderbent]], John Grey (male Jean Grey) is captain of the football team and a NiceGuy. He never uses his powers to cheat in the games, prefers playing fair. Kit Pryde (male Shadowcat) even sees him as a CoolBigBro-figure, since he's not like the {{Jerk Jock}}s who bully him at his old school. There's also John's friend and teammate Tyron (male Taryn Fujioka), who's also a nice jock and was even sympathetic towards Bulk (female Blob) while his female counterpart shunned Blob in the show. To Kit's surprise, Tyron is also [[HiddenDepths into science fiction and fantasy]], giving the two something to talk about.
84	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30275454?view_full_work=true Arcadia]]'':
85	** Averted with Jaune. Despite fitting the [[NiceGuy typical]] [[HeroicBuild profile]] and being [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower incredibly fit]], Jaune shuns all organised sports outside his gym habit for three reasons: 1. [[BrilliantButLazy lack of interest]]. 2. He doesn't have the time due to his job after school, and 3. He fears that with his exaggerated strength, he could accidentally hurt somebody.
86	** Played straight with Yang and Pyrrha. Yang is a member of Beacon's martial arts team, a BoisterousBruiser and [[NiceGirl kind to a fault]], whilst Pyrrha is a champion triathlete and celebrity who has ''not'' let fame make her jaded.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
90	* In ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie,'' these are the Pollen Jocks (i.e., the bees who leave the hive to collect pollen). When Barry and Adam are pretending to be Pollen Jocks to impress some girls, a pair of real Pollen Jocks come over and, while not revealing the truth, decide to mess with them by challenging them to come along on their next mission. When Barry actually shows up, they talk their superior into letting him come along.
91	* Mitch from ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' is of the DumbJock variety. He a nice guy who has a strong BigBrotherInstinct towards his younger brother Neil; despite this [[NotSoAboveItAll Mitch shares the low opinion the rest of the town has toward Norman.]] Even telling Neil, he should not hang around Norman because of his reputation. However, Mitch was never mean to Norman directly, agrees to drive everyone to look for Norman when he was missing, became a believer in his gift to see ghosts, and finally stands up to the townsfolk when they want to hurt Norman.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
95	* ''Film/TwentyTwoJumpStreet'' has Zook. Zook is a college football player whose also a very NiceGuy to everyone he meets. He also welcomes Jenko to the football team with open arms, while also being the only one amongst his football team to vouch for Schmidt because of his loyalties to Jenko.
96	* Flash Thompson of ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' initially started out as the resident JerkJock, but when Peter's uncle was killed, Flash goes to console Peter, and continues to do so, even when Peter shoves him against the lockers, telling him calmly to "let it all out". By the end of the film, the two have become good friends.
97	* Oz from ''Film/AmericanPie'' becomes this as he joins the glee club and gets in touch with his sensitive side. This is PlayedForDrama when he tries to convince Heather that he's not just a jerk jock. Subverted in the beginning in that he joins the Glee Club just to get Heather into bed, though later he does develop feelings for her.
98	* ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'': Andrew, a wrestler who gets no attention from his father and resorts to bullying a nerd once (which is what lands him in detention) and feels awful about it.
99	%%* A few of the guys from ''Film/CoachCarter'', which is basically ''Remember The Titans'' with basketball instead.
100	* ''Film/DazedAndConfused'': Main protagonist Randy "Pink" Floyd is the school's star football player, but unlike most of his teammates, he is friendly to all of the cliques - his fellow jocks, the stoners, even the nerds. In fact, it's his insistence to hang out with "losers" like the stoner kids that proves to be a main point of contention between himself and his coach and some teammates, especially JerkJock Benny.
101	* Wes from ''Film/TheDuff''. Despite being introduced as a stereotypical football jock in his first scenes, he is actually one of the few people who try to help Bianca in the movie.
102	* Paul from ''Film/{{Election}}'', while [[BrainlessBeauty not too bright]], is a genuine NiceGuy who votes for his opponent in the titular school election because he thinks it wouldn't be fair if he voted for himself.
103	* Shawn Hatosy's Stan from ''Film/TheFaculty'' is a five-star athlete who wants to work hard to better his grades and is probably the nicest in the main cast.
104	* ''Film/ForrestGump'''s eponymous character is a kind and gentle (if very simple) young man and played football in college. He later becomes known for table tennis.
105	* The jocks in ''Film/{{Grease}}'' are like this, although they still don't get the girl because they're too dumb and boring.
106	* Paul in ''Film/TheHalfOfIt'' isn't the brightest guy and is essentially Ellie's romantic rival, he's a genuinely kind person and becomes her best friend.
107	* Troy from ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' is the star player of the school's basketball team, and the most popular guy in the school, and he's genuinely a lovely guy to everyone, with a willingness to look out for everybody. His teammates are also pretty nice guys, even Chad, who can be snarky.
108	* ''Film/JohnnyBeGood'': As the protagonist, Johnny's main problem is an inflated ego caused by all the praise he's getting from recruiters.
109	* Cappie from ''Film/{{Lucas}}'' used to bully the titular character, but did a HeelFaceTurn after Lucas helped him keep up with his studies when he fell ill and became Lucas's friend and protector, and it's not really his fault that the girl Lucas liked had a crush on him instead.
110	%%* The main character of ''Film/TheLuckOfTheIrish''.
111	* Aaron from ''Film/MeanGirls'' is seen playing football and is also on the swim team - and he's quite possibly the only wholly decent person in the cast.
112	* ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet4TheDreamMaster'': Dan Jordan, the popular sports jock whom Alice crushes on, is an all-around nice guy who avoids the mean behavior of the trope's counterpart.
113	* ''Film/ANightAtTheRoxbury'': Craig, Doug and Steve's friend and personal trainer. His introduction scene has him gently scolding the brothers about their wrong technique on a tricep exercise and then immediately apologising for his remark.
114	* ''Film/NotAnotherTeenMovie'': While Jake is certainly the BigManOnCampus, he's really not a bad guy. Spoofed however when he tries to be the "sensitive guy" by protecting his LoveInterest's little brother from being bullied, only to receive an accidental punch to the face in return. Jake kicks the shit out of him in response.
115	* Most of the guys from ''Film/RememberTheTitans,'' but Gerry sticks out the most. So does Julius -- once they get over their mutual prejudice and become FireForgedFriends, they're the ones most committed to keeping the team from falling apart.
116	%%* Ogre evolves into this in the ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds'' series.
117	* ''Film/SummerSchool'' gives us Kevin, all-around DumbJock and NiceGuy.
118	* ''Film/TeaAndSympathy'' has Al - an offscreen character in the original play. He's roommates with the CampStraight Tom and tries to defend him from being bullied by the other boys.
119	* ''Film/VarsityBlues'' has Mox first and foremost, but also the likes of Billy Bob and Wendell Brown.
120	* Jonathon from ''Film/WereTheWorldMine'' is the only one on his school's rugby team who is not a JerkJock, and the only one who consoles the bullied protagonist Timothy, who [[GayGuySeeksPopularJock has a crush on him]]. Turns out that Jonathon is a StraightGay and Timothy is his ClosetKey.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Literature]]
124	* ''Literature/OneHundredCupboards'' has Zeke Johnson, the heroes' neighbour and family friend. General NiceGuy, local baseball star, eventual [[BadassNormal badass]].
125	* Jake from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' is introduced this way (his best friend Marco teasingly refers to him as "a DumbJock trying to be General Patton"). He tries and fails to get on the basketball team, but it's stated right away his build and strengths are suited more for football.
126	* Tommy Ross from ''Literature/{{Carrie}}''. It's written that none of his classmates ([[spoiler: well, the surviving ones anyway, who tended to be some of the least popular kids in school]]) had anything bad to say about him. Unfortunately, he's usually considered a JerkJock by those who didn't know him but are writing about the incident at the prom.
127	* Also by Creator/StephenKing, Dennis Guilder from ''Literature/{{Christine}}'' is a high school football star and generally nice person who sticks up for his often-bullied nerdy friend Arnie Cunningham.
128	* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid Big Shot: ''Preet Patel is the only good player on Greg's team (at least until he's injured early on) and is surprisingly nice for a jock in the series. He happily goofs around with Greg and the other un-athletic kids in one scene. He later shows up to cheer for them during the final game after their humiliating season, while happily agreeing to play while wearing an orthopedic boot.
129	* Mike Peterefsky in ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'' is friends to shy, bumbling geek Bertram and doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body -- he's actually worried that Bertram will think less of him when they're thrust into a chaotic unfamiliar situation. For all that, though, he was more or less going along with it when [[JerkJock Sean]] was making plans to cripple a slower-moving player on their team, until the adventure happens. When he returns he finds his courage and denounces Sean.
130	* Frank Merriwell, hero of the book series of the same name is an exemplary athlete both in skill and sportsmanship, and an all-around decent chap. Other athletes in the story, not always so decent.
131	* ''Literature/FunJungle'': Basketball stars Ethan and Dash, who befriend Teddy in the second book, save him from a bully's attack, and are sometimes willing to help him out in later books.
132	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
133	** Harry is an example, along with most Quidditch players who don't play for Slytherin.
134	** Cedric Diggory is another prominent example, even though his house (Hufflepuff) isn't usually considered a "jock" house. He's such a NiceGuy that he once tried to [[HonorBeforeReason forfeit a match immediately after winning]]. (Harry ended up passing out due to the presence of the Dementors while the two were racing for the GoldenSnitch, and Cedric didn't notice until after he caught it.) His request was denied on the grounds that he hadn't actually broken any rules, so his win was totally fair.
135	** Ron became a Quidditch Keeper in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix book 5]] (But not in the movies until [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince 6]]) and is a still pretty decent, if occasionally very insensitive, guy.
136	** James Potter is overall this with elements of JerkJock (however, the only time he was a jerk was mainly beyond his complex and mutual hatred with Severus Snape and beyond that were his pranks.) After he 'deflates his head,' he is much more readily seen as one. However, it's difficult to guise this since the only perspective we've seen this of him were the Marauders (his long time friends), Snape (mutual hatred), and Lily [[spoiler: (she initially thought little of him though a large part may have stemmed from his and Snape's animosity with one another since Snape was her friend until 5th year. Interestingly enough, after that point, she goes from supposedly not liking him in 5th year to dating him in 7th year and marriage soon after. This prompts some to assume Lily's dislike was actually her being a form of Tsundere.]]
137	%%** Also Harold "Stinker" Pinker in Wodehouse's ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' stories.
138	* ''Literature/JustJuliet'': Scott is a football player, though also a kind, sensitive guy. Also he's openly gay and doting on his boyfriend, breaking with the aggressively heterosexual stereotypes of male jocks.
139	* Jason Farley-Shaw in ''Literature/{{Loveless}}'' is a member of the university's rowing team and the tallest member of the main cast, [[GentleGiant yet he's gentle and understanding towards Georgia.]]
140	* Creator/PGWodehouse's schoolboy hero Mike Jackson, best-known as {{Sidekick}} to Psmith in the ''Literature/{{Psmith}}'' series. He's [[DumbJock terrible in school]] but [[BookDumb an exceedingly skilled cricket player]], and he suffers from a severe case of ChronicHeroSyndrome.
141	* Josh Newman from ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' series is stated to be on the football team though the books are set in the summer.
142	* Calvin from ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'', who's said to be a popular athlete at Meg's school but has no problems hanging out with geeky, bespectacled Meg and going on a multidimensional space quest with her and her brother Charles Wallace.
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
146	* ''Series/EightSimpleRules'': Kyle is said to have shoved nerds in lockers but we've never actually seen him bully someone and he seems like a nice enough guy.
147	* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'':
148	** Jeff is the lone NiceGuy among the jocks, who get ridiculous privilege because of their athletic success. When Clay helps him with his schoolwork, he responds by trying to set him up with girls. [[spoiler: Making it all the more heartbreaking when it's revealed he died in a car accident months ago]].
149	** Zach seems to also be slightly nicer than his meathead teammates. [[spoiler: He makes something of a HeelFaceTurn in the finale]].
150	* ''Series/AllAmerican'': Both the Beverly Hills and Crenshaw team are full of them, but Spencer stands out as he cares for his family and friends, sometimes above his own needs. And while Jordan and Asher started out as the [[JerkJock opposite of this trope]], after CharacterDevelopment they become a lot nicer.
151	* ''Series/AmericanVandal'': Deconstructed in the second season with Demarcus, the school's star basketball player. He's a charming, back-slapping, hail-and-well-met-fellow sort, always joking around with the other students. But those interactions often have something of an insulting edge, and Demarcus is certainly not above manipulating the school's devotion to athletics for his own benefit. For his part, Demarcus admits that he doesn't know if anyone in the school actually likes him, and his smiling persona is often an attempt to paper over the awkwardness of being a prominent black student in a heavily white school (one of his white friends assumed he had NWordPrivileges with Demarcus, for example).
152	%%* ''Series/{{Awkward}}'': Jake and, to a lesser extent, Matty also qualify as the BigManOnCampus.
153	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Penny's ex-boyfriend Zack has all the hallmarks of a big DumbJock mentally stuck in his late teens, but is also genuinely good-natured and kind and views the nerds as friends, especially Leonard. It helps that he shares a lot of their interests like comic books and video games, and finds their work in science cool even if he doesn't understand it. In his first appearance, the gang are visibly confused at having someone like him being so nice to them rather than bullying them. If anything, they are often the ones [[NerdyBully making fun]] of him, taking advantage of the fact that he is too stupid to realise they are insulting him.
154	* ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus'': Tommy Dawkins, the titular werewolf is a good-natured guy (if a little ditzy at times) and goes on to be good friends with the local weird goth guy, Merton. He also does what he can to help out the Monster of the Week, if said monster isn't actively trying to hurt someone.
155	%%* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Booth is a former jock version.
156	* The professional UFC fighters on ''Series/BullyBeatdown'' often come across as this since the whole premise of the show has them defending and avenging the little guy. This is particularly true of the host Jason Miller, who started the show partly because he was bullied as a child.
157	* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb is a hyper-athletic, ridiculously good-looking ''surgeon'' who is genuinely just the nicest guy on the planet.
158	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Troy might be a little insensitive sometimes, but he's probably the sweetest person on the show, and is TheHeart of the group. Case in point? He's more turned on by girls in pajamas than lingerie because he just wants to know they're comfortable.
159	* ''Series/DeadGorgeous'': David is affable and good-natured, he is not bright enough to be the BigManOnCampus. However, when he finds out that a nerd is being bullied into doing his homework for him (he was initially told the nerd was doing it voluntarily) he quickly forces the bully doing it to stop.
160	* ''Series/{{Degrassi\|TheNextGeneration}}'': Riley is also a BigManOnCampus and genuinely is not stupid. He starts off as a JerkJock but to him being in the closet about his sexuality but later opens up and becomes a lot more vulnerable and friendly.
161	* ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'': Todd, despite dating shallow and vapid Cindy Sanders and being Sam's unaware rival, is a super nice guy who thinks Sam is cool and doesn't try to battle him for Cindy.
162	* ''Series/FridayNightLights'': Most of the cast, but especially Matt Saracen and Luke Cafferty. Taken further by Matt explicitly being stated as more of an art kid than a quarterback, he just happens to have the brains to back himself up on the field.
163	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Several examples
164	** Mike and Matt are probably the only ones to have never bullied anyone and are immediately TrueCompanions with the glee kids. The same goes for Sam, who was initially the target of bullying and so is more of a glee kid who happens to be a jock than the other way around (which probably is also Artie, too, though he [[MST3KMantra is in a wheelchair]]).
165	** Finn and Puck (after some CharacterDevelopment) also count. Finn was more immediately kind and is the Quarterback, whilst Puck took longer and more realisation that high school bullying is fickle. And the same goes for Karofsky, who is a nice guy [[spoiler:and even dates Blaine for a short while]] after coming to terms with his sexuality.
166	** Out of the cheerleaders, Brittany probably counts as this since though she is part of the PowerTrio, she is too sweet and dumb to be a LovableAlphaBitch, compared with the others.
167	* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': Mick Campbell is a jock, yes, but also thought to be one of the sweetest and funniest people in the house. His close friendship with the nerdy, unathletic Fabian proves he's a good guy.
168	* ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'': Shun Daimonji, the school's star quarterback. He starts off as a JerkJock taken to such an extreme that he even interferes with Fourze defeating the MonsterOfTheWeek because of a grudge with the titular Kamen Rider. Later, though, he owns up to his father) and works toward becoming a better person. He even joins the Kamen Rider Club and assists Fourze in battle by piloting the [[MiniMecha Power Dizer]].
169	* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': Lucas, Skills, Jake, and (after CharacterDevelopment) Nathan are players of the Tree Hill High basketball team and nice guys.
170	* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Stretch Snodgrass, Madison High's star athlete is [[DumbJock dimwitted]], but good-natured to the point where he's willing to transfer schools if it'll get his best friend Walter Denton on the Madison football team ("Two Way Stretch Snodgrass"). Stretch is apparently very popular; when he [[ItMakesSenseInContext accidentally vandalizes the school]] in "Stuffed Gopher", Miss Brooks and Walter get a crew of students to fix the damage and cover for him.
171	* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'':
172	** In "Stranded", Kevin Buchanan's elder brother Josh is a jock and a genuinely NiceGuy.
173	** In "Abduction", the former Eden Park High School running back Ray seems to be a JerkJock since he taunts both Cody Phillips and Jason but he turns out to be a NiceGuy.
174	* ''Series/PartyOfFive'': Will. Bailey does blur the lines as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold though the Jerk part usually cancels out the Heart of Gold.
175	* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
176	** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'':
177	*** Jason Lee Scott participates in a number of athletic activities, with martial arts being his main focus. His outgoing, athletic nature makes him a natural leader of the Power Rangers, and he functions as a BigBrotherMentor to geeky Billy Cranston, building Billy's self-confidence by teaching him martial arts.
178	*** Jason's FriendlyRival Tommy and Jason's successor Rocky also qualify. They love martial arts as much as Jason and are among the nicest, friendliest people you will ever meet. and
179	** ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'': T.J. is charming, friendly and served on his high school baseball team. Carlos is a soccer player and has something of an edge, but hues closer to this trope than JerkJock.
180	** ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'': Shane and Dustin are into skateboarding and dirt biking respectively. They are also pretty friendly, goofy and outgoing.
181	** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'': Conner [=McKnight=] a star soccer player at Reefside High. While he starts off closer to a JerkJock, he quickly bonds with [[BlackAndNerdy Ethan]] and [[IdolSinger Kira]], and he grows kinder over time. He retains some of his rougher edges for much of the show, but is firmly a Lovable Jock by the end.
182	* ''Series/RunningMan'': Kim Jong-Kook is a workout fanatic whose muscular physique gives him a distinct advantage in strength-based challenges. But his sense of humor, supportive attitude, and [[CannotTalkToWomen shyness towards women]] gives him an endearing quality that elevates him above the level of a stereotypical [[DumbMuscle muscle-head]].
183	* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': Harvey. His friends on the football team also seem nice enough.
184	* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'': AC Slater is a star wrestler and basketball player and, while a bit of a hothead, he's ultimately good-natured.
185	* ''Series/SchoolSpirits'': Wally Clark, who is described by Rhonda as "part-boy, part-Golden Retriever", was a football star at Split River High when he died in 1983. While Simon immediately assumes that Wally is a stereotypical JerkJock, Wally is kind, patient, and compassionate towards Maddie, even comforting her when she cries.
186	* ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'': Chad Radwell. While initially appearing to be a straight-up JerkJock, it's revealed that his best friend is gay and he's completely accepting of it - even warning his AlphaBitch of a girlfriend not to spread rumours about it in case he gets bullied. More HiddenDepths to Chad are revealed as the series goes on - to the point where he walks out on his family after they're rude to Chanel and Hester. By the end of the first season, he's one of only two people in the main cast who has not yet tried to murder someone.
187	* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': Turk played basketball and football in high school and in college took JD under his wing. They've been HeterosexualLifePartners ever since.
188	* ''Series/SuperHumanSamuraiSyberSquad'': Tanker is a football star but isn't mean to anyone other than {{Jerkass}} Malcolm Frink and even then he's quite mild in comparison to a regular JerkJock. Also, Tanker dates the resident genius.
189	* Most of the footballers in ''Series/TedLasso'', especially [[NiceGuy Sam]] and [[{{Keet}} Dani]]. Roy is very rough around the edges but ultimately good hearted. Jamie, Isaac and Colin form a trio of {{Jerk Jock}}s at the start of Season One, but they have all [[HeelFaceTurn face turned]] by Season Two.
190	* ''Series/TeenWolf'': Danny. Ironically, he is best friends with Jackson, the JerkJock.
191	* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Matt Donovan. On the other hand, Matt's best friend Tyler Lockwood is a JerkJock ([[CharacterDevelopment at first]]).
192	* ''Series/VeronicaMars'':
193	** The series notably has this in one episode where a girl cheats on her football-playing boyfriend with an artist. The "star athlete" turns out to be genuinely decent and caring, the artist... not so much.
194	** Wallace, the star basketball player who is, with the possible exception of Meg (AlphaBitch aversion cheerleader popular girl who is the nicest person around), the best person in the entire series.
195	* ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'': Wishbone's owner Joe is a basketball jock (his late father was a star player), but is invariably a NiceGuy and is a good friend to BlackAndNerdy David, barring some episodes where he TookALevelInJerkass (which are invariably {{reset\|Button}} by the end). This plays into the rivalry between him and JerkJock Damont Jones, who is the PowerTrio's SitcomArchNemesis.
196	[[/folder]]
197
198	[[folder:Podcasts]]
199	* Ethan Wright from the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Creepy Town''. He's not too bright, but he's polite to everyone he interacts with. Shannon liked him enough that she brought him back for ''Sequinox''.
200	** JT from ''Bloody Mooney'' is an average jock (his claim to fame is a single catch in middle school, though it was a pretty good one). As such he's nicer than others. He also gets bullied by Keri.
201	** Ethan returns for ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' and is just as nice a guy.
202	[[/folder]]
203
204	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
205	* This is essentially Wrestling/DwayneJohnson's [[TheGimmick gimmick]] when he's a {{face}}, especially post Rock & [[Wrestling/MickFoley Sock]] Connection. He already was this to everyone in Wrestling/TheNationOfDomination not named [[Wrestling/RonSimmons Farooq]], buying them all expensive gifts so they could look the part like him.
206	* Alex Riley had a JerkJock gimmick on NXT so after his HeelFaceTurn he may qualify.
207	* Jesse Sorensen of U Know Pro, [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]], Wrestling/RingOfHonor, and many others. His gimmick is that of a former high school quarterback who still carries around a football from his glory days. Despite that, he's a very nice guy.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
211	* TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}: The Mast [[FictionalConstellations constellation]] in Exalted rules those journeys defined by the physical strength and exertion of those undertaking it. Sidereals who take on this archetype bear the trappings of wearing drab clothes, being honest and ignorant, being silent, and being strong. In its positive aspect, the Mast turns its strength to vital tasks that support the efforts and endeavors of others. In its negative aspect, the Mast strength is used without question and the mighty are unwilling to question their orders.
212	* ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'': Kord is the ChaoticGood god of athletics and strength, and is quite a nice deity in general.
213	* TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}: Kurgess is the NeutralGood god of bravery, sports, and competition. Born a mortal, he died saving the other competitors in a race from a trap set by his jealous rivals, and he's carried on that good nature into godhood. His itinerant priests often take up carpentry and make wooden toys to give to kids at sporting events, and they're known to provide minor healing for free to adventurers who regale them with tales of their bravery or best them in a test of strength.
214	[[/folder]]
215
216	[[folder:Video Games]]
217	* The Jock villagers of the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series are basically this by design.
218	* Chandlo Funkbun from ''VideoGame/{{Bugsnax}}'', who despite not being the brightest bulb is also surprisingly wise and a NiceGuy.
219	* In ''VideoGame/DiceyDungeons [[DownloadableContent Reunion]]'', the Warrior reveals that he's making a fitness regimen and is writing a fitness manual. He also applies this in battle by using single-use workout cards to deal extra damage or give himself some permanent stat boosts to compensate not being able to get them by leveling up.
220	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
221	** Jules from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' is very much this, being nothing but supportive and encouraging to Cloud, Tifa, and everyone else in his gym, he also shares his brother Andrea's open-mindedness and appreciatively commends Cloud's dance performance at the Honeybee Inn. In fact, going one step beyond, he even chastises Ronnie, one of his bodybuilding buddies, for being a JerkJock, pitting him in a squat-off against the considerably skinnier Cloud for the sole reason of serving Ronnie a helping of humble pie and teaching him not to be so superficial and full of himself.
222	** Tidus and Wakka from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. Really most of the Besaid Aurochs count. The Kilika Beasts are also shown to be nice enough.
223	* Roy from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade''. Roy is a fun, outgoing jockey (i.e., the literal sort of jock as in he likes riding animals) and is fun-loving.
224	* In ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'', Kom loves playing [[FictionalSport sportsball]] with the kids and is willing to bend a few rules for them because he believes that having fun is the most important thing in sports.
225	* Filipe Hasse from ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', a [[{{Keet}} cheery]] football player of the Arstotzkan Arskickers who's nice to the Inspector, and whenever he gets angry at you, [[WhatTheHellHero it is well-deserved]].
226	* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
227	** Akihiko Sanada from ''VideoGame/Persona3'' is a talented boxer with a laid-back personality.
228	** Daisuke and Kou from ''VideoGame/Persona4''. They're dubbed the "Fellow Athletes", and they're outgoing, friendly people.
229	* ''VideoGame/RaveHeart'': Prince Chad is well-known in his school for his athletic prowess, and he's very approachable and willing to help complete strangers. He's also one of the few people in Sector 1 who wants the give the Rave family the benefit of doubt when they're framed.
230	* From ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' we have Roy Bromwell: star quarterback of Pacific High. In the first game, he was a JerkWithAHeartOfGold bordering on JerkAss and with a ''serious'' hate for Japanese people [[spoiler: due to his grandfather's bad experiences in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII]]. He loses much of his jerkassery in the sequel, recognizes it was wrong for him to hate on others, and becomes an all-around nice guy.
231	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', usually characterized as cocky and somewhat aloof, yet friendly and laidback. He's also a BigBrotherMentor of sorts to [[KidSidekick Tails]] and is always supportive of him. This helped Tails overcome his timidness and insecurities, after this one was [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer bullied during his early childhood by his peers]] for his twin tails and [[GadgeteerGenius dorkiness]].
232	* Alex from ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' is a shallow seeming athlete at first, but as the player raises their friendship level with him, a far more earnest side of his personality is revealed.
233	* Beat from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' is a pro skateboarder who tries to act tough but is mostly goofy and kind, something he is embarrassed by when it's pointed out
234	[[/folder]]
235
236	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
237	* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' starts out as a JerkJock, but with everything he goes through, he learns how he's mistreated others, and he eventually becomes this.
238	* ''VisualNovel/ExtracurricularActivities'' features an entire cast of huge and lovable jocks who all play tennis together and you can date them.
239	* ''VisualNovel/IfMyHeartHadWings'': The protagonist Aoi was a cyclist SpeedDemon until a leg injury prior to the story, and is quite kind, albeit quite willing to smack Kotori for [[{{Tsundere}} her bad attitude.]]
240	* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'': The werewolf Scott is a football player and also by far the nicest character among the main romanceable characters, being a sweet KindheartedSimpleton and self-proclaimed "good boy".
241	* Kurt from ''VisualNovel/{{Nicole}}'' is a blond jock, although he's also a ChivalrousPervert.
242	[[/folder]]
243
244	[[folder:Web Animation]]
245	* [[MemeticMutation Everybody loves the]] WebAnimation/HomestarRunner. [[MemeticMutation He is a terrific athlete.]]
246	* Every member of the football team on ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'' is nice, reasonable and open-minded, and they all serve as the GoodCounterpart to [[CruelCheerleader the cheer squad]].
247	[[/folder]]
248
249	[[folder:Webcomics]]
250	* ''Webcomic/{{Academia}}'' has Jack Fortinbras, TheAce. Also a GeniusBruiser. See below for a female example.
251	* Most of the hockey bros in ''Webcomic/CheckPlease,'' overlapping with AcademicAthlete in Shitty and Ransom's cases, although the two main characters don't play it quite straight. Bitty, the protagonist, is much more InTouchWithHisFeminineSide than the stereotypical male student athlete, and Jack is an emotionally inept perfectionist with anxiety issues, but they're both very sympathetic characters.
252	* ''Webcomic/DearChildren'', a comic about a band of misfit high school teens who chase ghosts, surprisingly has several likeable athletes, including:
253	** Cailin Carver, one of the main characters, is a [[CloudCuckoolander ghost-obsessed]] girl one of whose ambitions is to join in girls' sports at her school. She is a NiceGirl who is friendly and kind to others.
254	** Leo Fitzgerald, a side character, is a huge handsome hairy guy who is one of the highest-status students in the school, captain of the football team, and ''incredibly'' good to everyone with whom he deals, ranging from his equally high-status girlfriend Paige (whom he deeply loves) to [[NaiveNewcomer Gabe]], whom he had just met.
255	* ''Webcomic/{{Forestdale}}'' Gives us Adam Summers, a rabbit with a massive sport obsession who cares a whole lot about his friends and will go out of his way to protect each and every one of them.
256	* ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' has the Body Improvement Club, a school club consisting of a group of fitness freaks that the hilariously scrawny Mob joins in hopes of improving himself. Even though he can’t remotely keep up with their strenuous fitness regimen, they respect that he tries his hardest and legitimately care for him as a friend rather than as a powerful [[PsychicChildren esper]] like most others in his life. When Mob is threatened, the whole club doesn’t hesitate to go out and protect him.
257	* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Jock]] from ''Webcomic/NerdAndJock''. His wholesome and encouraging friendship with Nerd is the driving force of the comic, and a RunningGag in the comic's earlier days is making him seem like a JerkJock (such as the classic "Give me your lunch money" line), and spinning them into something much friendlier (such as using said lunch money to actually buy lunch and saying next time, lunch is on him).
258	* This is the normal personality of Brother America in ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld,'' presented as a big, sorta dumb and obnoxious but always well-meaning jock. This [[NotHimself changed]] in the period when he was possessed by the Trump skin blob when he became horrible to everyone, and America's nicer personality traits were taken up by Sister America. Eventually, the blob [[LiteralSplitPersonality fissioned off to become an independent character,]] and Brother America returned to normal (the author has admitted he just missed the big lug too much to leave him possessed).
259	[[/folder]]
260
261	[[folder:Web Original]]
262	* Caleb from ''Podcast/TheBrightSessions'' might come off as a JerkJock at first due to his anger issues, but he's a genuinely sweet kid who tries his best to handle those issues, is friendly to just about everyone, loves his family and [[spoiler: his boyfriend, Adam]], and wants to use his [[TheEmpath empathy]] to help people.
263	* Jammer from the "Misfits and Magic" campaign of ''WebVideo/Dimension20'' was the BigManOnCampus at his old school and a gifted basketball player, and his first priority upon arriving at Gowpenny Academy is to start playing whatever sports they have. He's also the TeamMom, encouraging his friends at every step and helping keep Evan calm when his powers start acting up, and has no problem being friends with students who some would consider "uncool."
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:WebVideo]]
267	* ''WebVideo/DrGlaucomflecken'': The Orthopedic Surgeon ("Ortho") is an enthusiastic jock who loves weight training and exercise, and calls everyone "bro." He's also by far the nicest of all the surgeons.
268	[[/folder]]
269
270	[[folder:Western Animation]]
271	* Lee from ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingSpiez'' is great at sports and quite popular around school, but he's friendly to everyone and a great big brother to his three siblings. He occasionally has a moment of arrogance or chauvinism, but he's set straight pretty quickly and usually learns his lesson.
272	* ''WesternAnimation/AngelaAnaconda's'' brothers tease her a bit, but are more lovable than anything and genuinely do care about her. ''[[DumbJock Very]]'' [[DumbJock dumb]], but lovable.
273	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': Wheeler loves basketball and windsurfing (though his job means he's not part of a sports team during the show). While he can be insensitive, it tends to be unintentional. Anyone genuinely malicious messing with someone in front of him is asking for trouble, and multiple times during the show, he shows a soft side when one of the others is having a bad day.
274	%%* Herry from ''WesternAnimation/ClassOfTheTitans''.
275	* Kwan from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', though this was more of a case of CharacterizationMarchesOn since in his first few appearances, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}}, albeit one pushed into being one by his peers.
276	* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}},'' pretty much all the jocks (but especially [[TheDitz Kevin]]) fall into the "too-dumb-to-be-mean" category. An exception is Mack, who is smart but still nice.
277	* Chalky Studebaker from ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}''. Unless he lets his competitiveness get the better of him, he's really nice.
278	* Wilt from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' is very tall and enjoys sports and, as a result, is an excellent basketball player. Even his creator was [[UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan Jordan Michaels]]. Yet even so, he's very kind to his friends, enemies, and even to total strangers, and will help anyone whenever possible.
279	* NaiveNewcomer Brett Hand from ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob2021'' was a UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC YesMan who was hired by the EvilInc despite having no experience whatsoever purely because of how charismatic he is and the fact that [[TheGenericGuy his face is so generic facial recognition software can't track it]]. He has a muscular build and joined ''38'' fraternities in college before being brought on to help [[VillainProtagonist Reagan]] [[TheHeart manage team morale]], with everyone immediately taking to him including Reagan herself by the end of the first episode.
280	* Happy Hogan in ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' was the DumbMuscle comic relief. He's more of an acquaintance of Tony's than one of his inner circle but is a friendly CloudCuckoolander and a fan of Iron Man.
281	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
282	** Brick Flagg might be the boyfriend to [[AlphaBitch Bonnie Rockwaller]], but he's actually pretty decent [[DumbJock (if a bit dim)]] judging from what few appearances he gets. He later [[PutOnABus goes off to college]] in the fourth season and dumps Bonnie.
283	** [[Characters/KimPossibleRonStoppable Ron Stoppable]] later becomes this in the final season where all the experience running from danger and supervillains allowed him to become a very good running back.
284	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': In the episode "Peggy Makes the Big Leagues", Peggy meets a talented football player named David who is allowed to stay on the team in spite of his poor grades. When Peggy flunks him, therefore suspending him from the team because of the school's "no pass, no play" policy, it's the teachers and booster club who come after her and practically ostracize her, not David. In fact, throughout the episode, David was never seen as anything other than somewhat oblivious and entitled yet ultimately good-natured. When the booster club made a plan to make him look like he had a learning disability, he was furious and embarrassed to realize how easy it was for them to portray him this way because of how lazy he's been with academics. He comes to Peggy for help, admitting that he knows he's not that smart and hates feeling stupid, so he usually doesn't even bother trying with schoolwork since the other teachers will ''let'' him. When he shows he's willing to work hard to learn, Peggy ultimately decided to let him play.
285	* Bolin from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has his EstablishingCharacterMoment when he meets Korra and helps her avoid getting caught by the gym's owner. Mako has a SugarAndIcePersonality, but still qualifies.
286	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'':
287	** Lê Chiến Kim from is a hyper-competitive jock who has his jerkish moments but is generally a nice enough dude. He ultimately becomes one of the reserve superheroes, King Monkey.
288	** [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugAdrienAgreste Adrien Agreste]] fences and plays basketball, but he's a NiceGuy.
289	* Rico from ''WesternAnimation/MovilleMysteries'' is a jock so skilled he plays in adult teams despite being in high school, is skilled in basically any sport he plays, has talent hunters constantly hounding him, and is dumb as a sack of bricks. He is also the nicest guy at school and always tries to help people in need. And in the episode he accidentally became a supergenius, he wanted to use his talents in order to help the world instead of wasting them in sports.
290	* The appropriately named Bulk Biceps from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a massive musclebound over-excitable and completely ''adorable'' example of this. He also must have one heck of a gentle and sensitive side, if he's able to be friends with [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]] of all ponies.
291	* Vince from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' happily hangs out with a group of friends with various niches, and [[BigBrotherWorship worships]] his "cool" older brother, unaware that he's actually a massive {{Geek}}.
292	* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' Flash Thompson starts out as a JerkJock but eventually [[CharacterDevelopment evolves into this]].
293	* Larry the Lobster is easily the strongest character in ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' but he's also the friendliest after Spongebob himself. However, in a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, the season one episode "Ripped Pants" features a song with lyrics about how "big Larry came around just to put [Spongebob] down". This is especially odd because even in this episode, Larry is portrayed as friendly.
294	* Chet from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' is as tall and muscular as an adult and walks around in his swim team uniform 24/7, but is also laid back and friendly. When Marco bumps into him in the lunchroom and spills food on his letter jacket, his response is "No worries, it's just a material possession."
295	* Meat from ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' also falls under the "too dumb to be spiteful" category, but he's actually quite nice to Newton/Octus.
296	* Cyborg used to be an athlete before he turned into what he is today in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003''.
297	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''
298	** Tyler. While his sports skills aren't as good as he'd like them to be, he's still defined primarily by his sports playing — and he's also a devoted, patient boyfriend who's willing to befriend geeks and nerds and is adamantly against infidelity.
299	** DJ and Geoff. While sports isn't as much of a defining characteristic for them compared to Tyler, they're both described by their official bios as being star players on their high schools' football team and are very much {{Nice Guy}}s who get along with everyone.
300	** Brick as a foil to JerkJock Jo. Although he's really a military cadet, he has a lot of traits associated with Lovable Jocks - strength, athleticism, loyalty, bravery, and a firm adherence to teamwork and good sportsmanship.
301	** Wayne and Raj, while competitive and with dreams of becoming professional hockey players, are some of the nicest people on the show, always willing to lend their teammates a hand at all times. In particular, Wayne is very supportive of Raj [[ComingOutStory after the latter realizes that he is gay]] [[ShipperOnDeck and actively ships him with Bowie]], whom Raj mutually develops feelings for.
302	* Evan/Spyke from ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', though this is mostly in-universe since he's TheScrappy to most people.
303	[[/folder]]
304
305	!!Female examples:
306
307	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
308	* Natsuki Hayami from ''Manga/Amakusa1637'' was this, the KendoTeamCaptain ''and'' the StudentCouncilPresident before the TimeTravel action took place.
309	* Kagura from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' is a HotBlooded BoisterousBruiser, who is overly energetic and often BookDumb, yet she is kind and well-intentioned and deeply caring for her friends.
310	* Sakura Kinomoto from ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' is a top track & field athlete, a cheerleader, and the sweetest girl around. By extension, so are her cheerleader friends Chiharu and Naoko.
311	* The cheerleaders from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Misa Kakizaki, Sakurako Shiina, and Madoka Kugimiya. Also the "sports girls": Akira Ookochi, Ako Izumi, and Makie Sasaki. Misora Kasuga and even Ayaka Yukihiro would count, but Misora can get very snarky and Ayaka takes a while to get there.
312	* Yotsuba Nakano of ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'' is the most athletic amongst her sisters (the school's basketball and track teams wish to recruit her full time) and she's also the nicest out of her sisters, [[GenkiGirl being always bright and full of energy]] and with a penchant for [[ChronicHeroSyndrome never saying no whenever someone asks her for help]].
313	* Utena Tenjou (the titular character of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is a clear example from the first episode, where she's shown dominating at basketball to the delight of her [[HoYay female fanbase]]. She plays basketball frequently in the series, and occasionally baseball, among other athletic activities. Generally she's a sweet and well-intentioned girl, if a bit oblivious at times.
314	* Minako Aino from ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' was previously a star volleyball player on her school's team. She is also a hyperactive, outgoing BullyHunter.
315	[[/folder]]
316
317	[[folder:Comic Books]]
318	* More from ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'': especially in modern-day stories, Betty is portrayed as an AcademicAthlete who also does about a million different volunteer jobs around town and is well-liked.
319	* The ComicBook/New52 version of ''ComicBook/HarleyQuinn'' loves full contact sports such a boxing and roller derby, mainly due to the [[BloodKnight raw physicality involved]]. And while she's [[AntiHero not a straight-up good guy]], she still has enough redeeming qualities to count as "lovable".
320	* In ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' Mayday Parker started out as belonging both to the jocks and the nerds of Midtown High. Her good friend Davida Kirby is a straighter example of this trope.
321	[[/folder]]
322
323	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
324	* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Peppermint Patty. {{Flanderization}}, combined with the ComedicSociopathy that characterized the strip, moved her into JerkJock territory occasionally, but at heart she was a [[DumbJock dim but loyal tomboy]] harboring a crush on Charlie Brown.
325	[[/folder]]
326
327	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
328	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'', the human version of Rainbow Dash is a soccer player, and is explicitly stated to be [[PassionateSportsGirl the captain of every sports team]] at Canterlot High. Like her pony counterpart, she's a loyal friend and good with children.
329	[[/folder]]
330
331	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
332	* The leads (and other teammates) from ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham'' - all kind, fun-loving girls who play as a team.
333	* ''Film/BringItOn'' was one of the first mainstream films to show cheerleading as a legitimate athletic pursuit, and subvert a lot of the negative stereotypes surrounding cheerleaders. Torrance for example just wants to help her team win, and she shows {{Tomboy}} Missy that there's more to the sport than what she expects.
334	* Amber from ''Film/DodgeballATrueUnderdogStory'' is a cheerleader but is kind and sweet, in contrast to her rather nasty boyfriend.
335	* Casey from ''Film/TheDuff'' may count, being a soccer player. She may be tough, but she's not mean.
336	* Lynda of ''Film/Halloween1978'' is a cheerleader and the FinalGirl's best friend, considerably nicer than the other, non-cheerleader, friend.
337	* The jock girls in ''Film/MeanGirls'' are competitive but still shown as good people. [[spoiler:Regina joins them]] at the end. This is said to be a good thing, as they're not afraid of her and so she doesn't bully them.
338	[[/folder]]
339
340	[[folder:Literature]]
341	%%* Julie Sims in ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo''. She is also a [[FriendlySniper deadly jock]].
342	* The girls on the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books. Both [[TheHero Harry's]] girlfriends Cho Chang and Ginny Weasley played the same position as him, although Ginny only substituted for him in three games, [[TyrantTakesTheHelm the first two because of Umbridge's hostile takeover of Hogwarts]], and third due to detention. She otherwise played as a goal-scorer. It's worth noting that there are no girls playing for Slytherin and Hufflepuff, the two teams shown with more JerkJock players than the others.
343	* ''Literature/IAmJazz'': Jazz is a very patient, mild-mannered kid, and she also plays soccer.
344	* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': Nanao Hibiya, TheLancer of the series, is a middling student academically but excels at the athletic sides of Kimberly's curriculum: born into a {{samurai}} family, she's been swinging a sword since she was big enough to pick one up, and her experience as a cavalrywoman turns out to be very useful in riding {{flying broomstick}}s. She loves her friends as passionately as she loves swordplay, and has a lot of empathy for antagonistic students that is prone to inducing {{Heel Face Turn}}s.
345	* In the ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' novelisations, the (all female) gymnastics team are said to be popular and nice as well.
346	[[/folder]]
347
348	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
349	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy herself might count, as she was a cheerleader in her last school and she attempts to join them again. Back in her old school she just appeared to be a bit ditzy as opposed to actually mean.
350	* In ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' Valerie joins the second-string cheerleader squad.
351	* Kelly and Lisa were on the cheerleading squad in ''Series/SavedByTheBell''. Jessie also joins as well. The girls are also said to play volleyball.
352	[[/folder]]
353
354	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
355	* Wrestling/NaomiKnight from NXT season 3 is another example. The other girls were mostly talked up as being in fitness and power lifting but Naomi came from a dancing and basketball background and her athletic prowess was always referenced.
356	* Wrestling/MichelleMcCool in her face persona was created around this trope, with the announcers talking up her athletic ability and vignettes also promoting it.
357	[[/folder]]
358
359	[[folder:Video Games]]
360	* Vivian Bergman (Ravian Merii) from ''VideoGame/CherryTreeHighComedyClub'' is good at several sports, including hockey. Talking to her about sports makes it much easier for Miley to recruit her into the comedy club, as it's one of Vivian's favorite conversation subjects.
361	* Audrey from ''VideoGame/DiceyDungeons'': She's [[BrawnHilda very physically fit]], is dressed in sweat-stained gym-wear, and before each boss battle against her, she will encourage the player. [[spoiler:She'll even team up with the player in the game's Backstage chapter if they find her and defeat her.]]
362	* Lucy from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade'' loves a number of sports, including running and dance, and she's also very friendly. Bonus points: Both she and Roy are small children; about six years old. [[SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome Sort of]].
363	* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'': Tiffany, Roy's girlfriend, is a cheerleader and is mentioned to be outgoing and friendly from the very start, unlike Roy who first had to get CharacterDevelopment.
364	[[/folder]]
365
366	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
367	* Emi Ibarazaki and Miki Miura from ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''. Both are talented track runners despite their physical handicaps (Emi had her legs amputated and runs with prosthetics, Miki lost a hand and had only her stump), as well as very lovable persons. And Emi is one of the five possible love interests as well! [[spoiler: Getting her route, however, will show the player that while Emi ''is'' a genuinely kind girl, she's got '''far''' more issues than you'd think.]]
368	[[/folder]]
369
370	[[folder:Webcomics]]
371	* ''Webcomic/{{Academia}}'': Ida Portinari, training to be an Olympic figure skater, tries to be an example of this, but can be a little bitchy now and then.
372	[[/folder]]
373
374	[[folder:Western Animation]]
375	* Francine from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' is either this or a JerkJock. She loves playing sports and is generally rough-and-tumble with a JerkWithaHeartOfGold personality. Whether the "Jerk" or the "Heart of Gold" is being emphasized [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer.]]
376	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Kim is a cheerleader who is constantly helping others, and whose best friend ([[RelationshipUpgrade later boyfriend]]) is a total ditz.
377	* Lynn Loud Jr. ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', Even though she does veer into the JerkJock and BigSisterBully categories at times, she is still a friendly and outgoing girl and her heart is in the right place.
378	* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'': Alice Boxwood is very good at baseball, soccer, and ice hockey and she's very active (if a bit clumsy). She's also a very good friend to the other children. Helen, Truman and T.D., her friends, are also very friendly. They're athletic too and sometimes play sports, but they're not as sporty as Alice.
379	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
380	** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicRainbowDash Rainbow Dash]] is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold somewhat rude and insensitive]], but [[UndyingLoyalty will always stay true to her friends]]. Unlike most female examples, she's not a cheerleader, but a racer. Not to mention she is [[FriendToAllChildren very good with children]], especially Scootaloo. She has an interest in sports outside of racing, if a few episodes are to be believed, making her a good example of this trope.
381	** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicApplejack Applejack]] is a less boisterous example, mostly. On a few occasions, Rainbow Dash can show shades of JerkJock, while Applejack is more unambiguously this trope.
382	* Skara from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is, for the most part, shown to be friendly to just about everyone when Boscha's ToxicFriendInfluence isn't at play. She's also a member of both Hexside's Grudgby and Flyer Derby teams.
383	* On ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Sky makes some questionable choices, but is never malicious, always dedicated to teamwork, and despises cheaters.
384	* Lor from ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' fits the DumbJock stereotype, but shows loyalty to her friends.
385	* Jean Grey is this herself in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' as the school's soccer star. Although referred to as 'Miss Perfect', she's considerate and gracious to everyone.
386	[[/folder]]

Context Main / LovableJock