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4[[quoteright:300:[[Film/BendItLikeBeckham https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bendit.jpg]]]]
5
6->''"[Rainbow Dash is], like, the captain of ''every'' sports team."''
7-->-- '''Pinkie Pie''', ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1''
8
9In fiction, male athletes are usually either [[DumbJock dumb]] or [[JerkJock mean]], whereas female athletes are usually portrayed sympathetically.
10
11The Passionate Sports Girl can put the JerkJock in his place by beating him at his own sport and also protect the NonActionGuy from the JerkJock as well. She can vary from being a sweet and shy yet diligent player to being a dark personality who just wants to play football. The specific sport she pursues is often dependent on personality; {{tomboy}}s generally prefer more aggressive sports like soccer, basketball, swimming, martial arts, baseball, and softball, whereas {{girly girl}}s generally prefer tennis, ice skating, gymnastics, cheerleading, and volleyball.
12
13You can tell that she is passionate because this girl lives for one sport at which she excels, or perhaps for any opportunity to show her strength, despite what anyone else thinks. In the first case, if it's a traditionally male sport, her desire to prove herself could lead to SweetPollyOliver as she attempts to get on an all-boy team. If she plays a variety of sports then she's more likely to be the GirlNextDoor. If it's a boys' team then it's YouGoGirl.
14
15She is also a more accessible LoveInterest for the hero since he can get to know her better by playing sports with her. There is a bit of WishFulfillment here for both the guys (who want a girlfriend they can talk about sports with) and the girls (who want to associate themselves more easily with sporty guys). Making sports her priority can [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon be intimidating]] or [[AmazonChaser relatable and/or attractive]] depending on the setting and the characters within it.
16
17In works focused on female characters, she is sometimes subjected to EvenTheGirlsWantHer since her sports heroics impresses the girls, but without being as intimidating as a boy. This is particularly common in Anime. When taken to the logical extreme this can turn her into a LesbianJock. She can also form a MasculineGirlFeminineBoy pairing with a NonActionGuy who is more artistically cultured than athletic, and in some cases, the PSG may also have some artistic talents herself as well, and she will also protect the non-sports guy from the (usually male) JerkJock as well.
18
19Unlike male athletes who are usually not depicted as stellar at academics (unless it involves natural sciences or mathematics), female athletes are more likely to be an AcademicAthlete who has excellent grades as well. In the case she doesn't have too great grades, she will be a LovableJock.
20
21Depending on the sport she plays, she may or may not be a StatuesqueStunner and/or AmazonianBeauty if meant to be attractive. The first is common with girls who play basketball and volleyball, while the other is most common with martial artists.
22
23Compare GamerChick, another example of a female in a traditionally male-dominated form of entertainment. May overlap with ActionGirl, especially if her chosen sport is a combat sport, or FitnessNut, if her passion for her sport of choice becomes an obsession. Compare ObsessiveSportsFan for those who get really into ''watching'' sports, even if they don't play.
24
25----
26!!Examples:
27
28[[foldercontrol]]
29
30[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
31* ''Manga/AimForTheAce'':
32** The TropeCodifier in anime and manga is Hiromi Ouka, the main character of 1972's ''Manga/AimForTheAce''.
33** Hiromi's teammate Reika "Madame Butterfly" Ryuuzaki also counts as this.
34* Natsuki Hayami from ''Manga/Amakusa1637'', doubling as a HeirToTheDojo. This is ''very'' plot-important, as she gets TrappedInThePast and must use her kendo skills [[BodyDouble to impersonate]] her IdenticalStranger... a famous and talented swordsman with a ''massive'' case of DudeLooksLikeALady [[spoiler:who turns out to be Shiro Amakusa. Yes, '''that''' [[UsefulNotes/AmakusaShiro Shiro Amakusa]]]].
35* Tachibana Hotaru from ''Manga/AoharuXMachinegun'' started playing airsoft to pay a debt. But later, she got hooked on the game and started playing it more seriously, aiming to be the best in Japan together with her team.
36* There's also ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'', where secondary TropeCodifier Kozue Ayuhara is the heroine, who transfers to Fujimi college and impresses the volleyball coach when she tries out. After making friends and enemies, the story highlights her struggles and triumphs as she matures and tries her hardest to become the best volleyball player in the school, Japan, and the world.
37* Similarly, there is ''Attack No. 1'''s SpiritualSuccessor ''Anime/AttackerYou'', with CountryMouse You Hazuki also playing this role in TheEighties.
38* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'':
39** Kagura is a strong all-around athlete, second only to Sakaki in talent. Near the end of the series, she even announces her intentions to try out for All Japan Women's swim team.
40** Nyamo is an aged-up version, being athletic and having knowledge of multiple sports due to being a gym teacher.
41* Tatsuki Arisawa in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. She knows karate (and is second strongest in her age group in all of Japan) and is a member of the kendo club.
42* Maki Akamine from ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', who is ''very'' serious about her career in softball. [[spoiler: She has now a ''very'' good chance to go pro.]]
43* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'':
44** In the anime, Sakura's sempai Rei Tachibana is the star of Tomoeda Primary School's track team. And then she found a strange sort-of ferret that turned out to be a Clow Card...
45** In the third part of the series, Nakuru Akizuki shows quite the athletic qualities and is an excellent basketball player. [[spoiler: There's the issue that she is technically the gender-less magical being Ruby Moon, but since she looks and refers to herself as a girl, we should keep it that way.]]
46* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
47** Ran Mouri is pretty serious about her karate and is good enough at it to have a rather high national score.
48** Hina Wada is also a karateka, is just as serious about it, and considers herself Ran's rival.
49** Momiji Ooka is a champion in the ''hyakunin issha karuta'' card game, and the 21st movie has her and Kazuha competing against one another for first place in a very prestigious tournament [[spoiler: and for Heiji Hattori's heart, since Kazuha may be his PatientChildhoodLoveInterest but Momiji claims that he gave her a ChildhoodMarriagePromise years ago. (It turns out [[AccidentalMarriage he promised her something else]]).]]
50* Chihaya Ayase from ''Manga/{{Chihayafuru}}'', who starts playing ''karuta'' to have her own goals, and from then on becomes hotly devoted to the game.
51* Shirley Fenette from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is one of the stars of Ashford Academy's swimming team, and she's sometimes seen practising or getting ready for tournaments.
52* The heroine Nobara Sumiyoshi from ''Manga/CrimsonHero''. Her mother wants her to be more feminine and ladylike and train to become the heiress of their family restaurant, but Nobara lives for volleyball and little else. She is so passionate about volleyball that she attended Benio High for the chance to play for the girls team, and when she found out her mother paid the school to get it cut to force her to live for the family restaurant, she ran away and started working to bring the girls team back to the school.
53* ''Manga/DearBrother'':
54** Kaoru Orihara, basketball star.
55** [[spoiler: Rei]] used to be one.
56** Subverted by Fukiko "Miya-sama" Ichinomiya. She's an excellent horse rider and is seen practising in the school fields, and not to mention she's a decent swimmer as well, but it seems to be used more as a way to empathize her {{Ojou}} background than to show her as a sportswoman.
57* In ''Manga/DNA2'', Junta and Ami's friend Kotomi Takanashi is pretty good at gymnastics (which is [[SensualSpandex very]] [[FanService well]] [[MaleGaze seen]] in the OP of the series). Problem is, she's a shy ShrinkingViolet... and when she gets nervous, she [[{{Gasshole}} starts farting...]]
58* Played with in ''Manga/DontToyWithMeMissNagatoro'': Nagatoro is a member of the swimming club, but she's there as a helper and doesn't engage in competition. However, she's markedly versed in fitness and exercising, and enjoys martial arts as a hobby. She gives pointers to Senpai in order for him to tolerate the school's marathon, as he's a largely sedentary person otherwise.
59** In later chapters, it's revealed that she used to do competitive martial arts earlier in her life, [[spoiler:but she quit because she hit a plateau and couldn't get better.]]
60* In ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' Videl is this for martial arts, and even gets to compete in a huge tournament. Too bad she faces a BrainwashedAndCrazy opponent that gives her a BRUTAL beatdown.
61* ''Manga/HikariNoDensetsu'': The anime centers around two: Hikari (a playful {{tomboy}} naturally talented at sports despite her petite build) and Shiina (who's Aika Academy's greatest gymnast and said to be the secondcoming of Hiroko Yamazaki). The girls have a FriendlyRivalry in spite of the fact that they both aim to represent Japan in the Olympics and like the same boy. This trope also applies to many other characters like Maria, Elena, Lisa, Valerie, Michelle, Meiling, Joyce, Nikolina, Tatiana, Sophie, Endira, Irene and Regina.
62* ''Anime/HungryHeartWildStriker'' has Kyousuke's prospective girlfriend Miki Tsujiwaki, who is the captain of her school's female soccer team, and the story kicks off when she basically ropes Kyousuke into coaching her team. It's thanks to Miki's passion for the sport that Kyousuke, who once played soccer too but left it due to personal problems, decided to restart playing.
63* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'':
64** The grown-up protagonist Lynn Russell has become a very passionate horse rider and wants to go pro so she can go to the Olympics. This being a {{shoujo}} manga, it won't be easy...
65** There are other girls in this series who also want to become sportswomen, specially either horse riders or tennis players. With a good reason: the school offers a beautiful prize named the ''Lady's Crest'' to the student that brings the most honour to the school, and all of them want it. So Lynn finds several rivals in her path like Vivian Spencer, Sophie Montgomery, Catherine, and [[spoiler:Mary Waverly.]]
66* Suzuka Tsukimura in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' is usually a ShrinkingViolet and a girly girl. However, when it comes to team sports (such as dodgeball), her passion and skill surprises everyone. In a supplementary manga, she manages to catch a ball thrown by Fate and hit Fate with it in mid-air. For the record, Fate is a mage who specializes in Mach 2+ aerial combat, and Suzuka is a muggle.
67* In ''Anime/MahouTsukaiChappy'', Chappy befriends [[BrokenBird a sad and troubled older girl]] named Katie Klein who is a professional ice skater but is losing her self-confidence after failing to pull a VERY difficult routine. [[note]](Which is basically the famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_(figure_skating) Quad]], a sequence [[DifficultButAwesome already very hard to pull]] in RealLife for skaters of either gender and, at [[TheSeventies the time]] of ''Chappy's'' airing, ''still'' not performed by any competitors in official tournaments; that wouldn't happen until 1988.)[[/note]] Chappy decides to help Katie regain her strength and finally nail the routine in time for a tournament. [[spoiler: They succeed.]]
68* ''Manga/MajorSecond'': In the first season, Mutsuko Sakura once she is encouraged to join the Dolphins, while Michiru Maruyama is the ace pitcher for the main rival team. Lead character Daigo Shigeno's older sister Izumi is captain of her junior high baseball team, although we don't see as much of her, and even Daigo's mother Kaoru is no slouch at baseball. In the second season, two-thirds of Daigo's junior high baseball team are girls, most unusual for a male-led sports manga.
69* Miki Koishikawa and Arimi Suzuki from ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy''. Miki is on Toryo High's tennis team, while Arimi is on her own school's track team. We even get to see Miki play and win some matches in the early parts of the story, and Arimi is seen training in the scene when [[spoiler: Ginta visits her in her school, as {{foreshadowing}} of how they'll end up falling for each other.]].
70* ''Anime/MischievousTwinsTheTalesOfStClares'': HotBlooded {{tomboy}} Patricia was TheAce at lacrosse at her old school and loves playing in Belinda's team. [[spoiler: Belinda even asks Pat to take over as the Team Captain when she leaves.]]
71* [[OurKoboldsAreDifferent Polt]] in ''Manga/MonsterMusume'' is so much of a fitness enthusiast that she owns a gym. She doesn't specialize in any sport in particular.
72* ''Manga/LoveMeForWhoIAm'': Sakura loves soccer and even cut her hair so it would be easier to play. However, her father's [[WantedAGenderConformingChild bigoted views on women playing sport]] lead to her quitting the team, which troubles her mother since she knows how much her daughter loved playing.
73* ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'': Yuzuki Seo is the best female basketball player at her school, but she's so unsportsmanlike that the male team gets her to practice with them as an AntiRoleModel, so they'll be able to deal with difficult players in real games. She's just as passionate about singing as she is about sports, though.
74* Makie Sasaki (gymnastics) and Akira Okochi (swimming) from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. [[spoiler: To the point that the Artifacts they get from their Pactios with Negi exploit their sports abilities: Makie's magical artifacts are all based on gym props, whereas Akira's allows her to teleport through water.]]
75* Anime/PrettyCure:
76** There's at least one of these in almost every ''Anime/PrettyCure'' season: Nagisa Misumi from the original series and ''Max Heart'' (lacrosse), Saki Hyuga from ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'' (softball), Rin Natsuki from ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' (Soccer), Itsuki Myoudouin from ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' (Martial Arts), Hibiki Houjou from ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' (various sports), and Akane Hino and Nao Midorikawa from ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' (volleyball and soccer, respectively)
77** Homare/Cure Etoile from ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure'' used to be a skilled figure skater with a lot of potential until she had a CareerEndingInjury before the anime began. Though she was traumatized by her injury even after it healed, she regained her passion after becoming Cure Etoile and with help from her friends.
78* ''Anime/PrincessNine'' is a good example of a show that has a lot of female athletes, some of whom fit this trope perfectly and some who don't. Ryo, Hikaru, and Koharu seem to fit, while the rest of the team doesn't, with Yoko being an outright subversion because she isn't really into baseball, or sports in general, but is on the team to get attention for her modeling career.
79* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'':
80** An Tachibana, member of the Fudomine girls' team.
81** Subverted by Sakuno Ryuzaki, who started playing to get closer to Ryoma, but is still a ShrinkingViolet. Though it's played straighter in the manga: she ''does'' have what it takes, improves relatively fast, and in one of the fanbooks [[http://fanbook.livejournal.com/28518.html she actually gets third place in a local tournament]] ''less than a year before she started playing''.
82* ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'': Yotsuba Nakano, the fourth amongst the titular quintuplets, also the most athletic of them. Both the basketball and track teams want her to join full-time.
83* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'':
84** Utena Tenjou is introduced as this, being a very athletic girl who happily helps up sports teams and has a horde of fangirls. Of course, the story will soon turn into something totally different for her...
85** To a more "aloof" degree, there's fencing team captain Juri Arisugawa.
86* Three examples that are ''even older'' than the aforementioned ''Manga/AimForTheAce'' characters show up in a short manga from ''1957'', Makoto Takahashi's ''[[Manga/TheRowsOfCherryTrees Sakura Namiki]]''. It features three girls (Yukiko Nakahara, Ayako Sunahara and Chikage Maki) who are members of their school's table tennis team: a PseudoRomanticFriendship-like LoveTriangle develops as Yukiko asserts herself as an asset to the team and wants Chikage to notice her, while Ayako gets jealous as Hell...
87* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
88** Minako/Venus subverts this who loves sports and is really good at volleyball -- but is more focused on her Sailor senshi duties and her IdolSinger dreams. She eventually rejoins the volleyball team towards the end, however.
89** Haruka/Uranus plays this straighter ([[{{Pun}} so to say]]) and her specialties are racing and field running.
90** Two characters of the day in the [[Anime/SailorMoon original anime]] are sportswomen: Haruka's FriendlyRival Elsa Gray in the S season (track TeenGenius [[spoiler:who actually introduced Haruka to her future [[BattleCouple partner and girlfriend]], ElegantClassicalMusician Michiru/Neptune]]) and LovableAlphaBitch Sonoko Iijyuin (captain of the softball team) from the Stars season. Elsa actually tried to recruit Minako for her school and their track team, as she had noticed she was ''that'' fast.
91* ''Manga/ShinshunkiMimanOkotowari'' has Asuka Higuchi, who is very athletic and wants to be a PE school teacher. She becomes a member of her school's gymnastics club and even gains a rival in the gym club captain Youko Kamiya.
92* Subverted by Hitomi Kanzaki from ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'', as it's hinted that she joined her school's track team because she had a huge crush on the team captain Susumu Amano and wanted to spend time with him before he left to the USA to become a pro. Her running skills ''do'' come in handy later in the story, though, when she runs like she has never done it before to [[DivingSave save Van]] from being killed by Dilandau.
93* In ''Manga/{{Suzuka}}'', the titular character Suzuka Asahina is the best high jumper and takes her sports career seriously.
94* Tsubaki from ''Manga/YourLieInApril'' is in the baseball club and is much more passionate about it than her studies.
95* In ''Manga/YubisakiMilkTea'', Hidari Morii like playing soccer and is skilled as well so when her classmate Yori Hotta is founding a girl soccer team she is promptly asked to join which she does. Meanwhile, Toko Nogi is the captain and The Ace of her high school basketball team. All three girls however have the same problem: other people have a hard time keeping up with their talents and ambitions, in sport as well as love.
96* While ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' is mostly about passionate sports ''boys'', it also has female figure skaters like [[FieryRedhead Mila Babicheva]] and [[NiceGirl Sara Crispino]], who love the sport and are dedicated to it as much of the guys; Mila ranks third in the world in ladies' singles skating while Sara ranks fourth, and both of them qualify for the Grand Prix Final (though [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome we don't see them compete]]). There's also Yuko Nishigori, who no longer skates competitively but has been hugely passionate about figure skating since she was young, to the point that she [[ThemeTwinNaming named her triplet daughters after skating jumps]].
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Comic Books]]
100* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Despite being an Olympic-level tennis professional (with at one point being the fourth best in the world), Bette Kane aka Flamebird is way more passionate in pursuing vigilantism although she still enjoys her tennis career.
101* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'': Callie Evans loves basketball and manages to make the varsity team her freshman year of high school. She plays it for fun even right after practice gets out.
102* Surprisingly enough, Magica De Spell from the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse is this for UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball, and will drop ''everything'' for it, even the hunt for the NumberOneDime-[[SeriousBusiness footie is more important]].
103* ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'': Kate Kane was one of these from at least middle school up until she resigned from West Point. Of particular note is her participation in gymnastics, where she was good enough to make it to the Senior Elite level of USA Gymnastics. She also won an academy boxing championship as a cadet.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Comic Strips]]
107* Peppermint Patty from ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' is like this. An admitted {{Tomboy}}, she not only manages her own sandlot baseball team but ''loves'' to play football, even in the rain (possibly ''especially'' in the rain). There was a brief storyline where she started associating this with the feminist movement, but eventually, she started to just do it for fun. Unfortunately, her bookworm friend Marcie doesn't share her appreciation for it much.
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Fan Works]]
111* ''Fanfic/AnchorFoal'': A frequent character in the harem fantasy genre, mentioned in [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/342886/10/anchor-foal-a-romantic-cringe-comedy/just-be-glad-twilight-never-published-any-post-on-the-application-paper Chapter 10]] by living novel Harem Fantasy. This could indicate Rainbow, or it could just mean there's a lot of that type spread across the realm of harem stories. A comment is made on them typically being BookDumb:
112-->They may not be too bright.
113* Carol Danvers is a dedicated [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] (soccer) player in ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' and very good at it, [[TheCaptain captaining]] her school team, specifically playing as a [[JackOfAllTrades box to box midfielder]], a position requiring a great deal of energy and skill. [[Creator/NimbusLlewelyn The author]] then elaborates that the specific comparison he was going for was [[TheCaptain Steven Gerrard]] of [[UsefulNotes/BritishFootyTeams Liverpool FC]], owing in part to their shared nickname of 'Captain Marvel' and similar dedication and, of course, RuleOfCool.
114* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaMementoMori'': Kozue Sumiyoshi is the Ultimate Volleyball Player and displays a lot of enthusiasm for her sport. [[ShoutOutThemeNaming Fittingly, she is named after]] both Kozue Ayuhara from ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'' and Nobara Sumiyoshi from ''Crimson Hero''.
115* Chloe Cerise in ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' loves softball, stating that she loves the thrill of being up at bat. It's revealed that she practiced since she was eight with her father and she translates her skill into her donut holer, Cheshire.
116* Kai from ''Fanfic/RidingTheWaves'' has stated to like Extreme Kickball.
117* In ''Fanfic/RealityIsFluid'' and ''All's Fair In Love And War'', we learn that Kanril Eleya is a fan of both springball and baseball, specifically of players and teams from her home province Kendra. In the latter story, her new father-in-law jokingly tells her and Gaarra to get an annulment: "I will not have my grandchildren rooting for the Warriors!"
118* In a sidestory set in the continuity of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Whitney is mentioned to be the top-rated softball player in Goldenrod City, as well as a regular Pokéathlon contender.
119* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, the Assassins' Guild School elevates sport to a level where the trainee Assassin is expected to deploy all their skills in the pursuit of victory. Well, ''almost'' all. Competitive running races in track and field - normally bloodless - become something of a passion to Mariella Smith-Rhodes, a distance runner who finds herself fighting battles with an equally gifted peer which become to-the-wire duels of their wits, endurance, and ability to read a situation. To her surprise, Mariella finds that she passionately cares about winning. Her [[DarkestAfrica Howondalandian]] nemesis feels the same way too. [[note]]Mariella and her rival Sissi are Expies of African long-distance endurance runners, one - styled on the controversial Zola Budd - from the Discworld's UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica and one from its UsefulNotes/{{Kenya}}. As White Howondaland is stuck in UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra and the neighbouring Black Howondalandian country is its deadly sworn enemy, the races also take on a political prestige. The two girls simply care about ''running'', despite what their elders think.[[/note]]
120* ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Mentioned that Sky is very athletic.
121[[/folder]]
122
123[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
124* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'': Princess Merida is passionate about swordplay, horseback riding, and archery, which annoys her ProperLady mother, Queen Elinor.
125* Julia from ''Animation/DinoTime''. Though this is mostly an InformedAttribute.
126* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'': The human version of Rainbow Dash is, according to Pinkie Pie, the captain of ''every'' sports team. The sport we actually see her playing in the movie is soccer, and she's indubitably a crack.
127* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'': Riley is a pre-teen girl from Minnesota who's extremely passionate about playing hockey. Her love for hockey is one of her personality islands [[spoiler:that becomes a plot point later on when her inability to perform well during San Francisco tryouts and subsequent rage-quit triggers the breakdown of the island, signifying her further slippage into depression]]. Both of her parents actively encourage her involvement in the sport with [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents unbridled enthusiasm]].
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
131* Bethany Hamilton in ''Film/SoulSurfer'' starts off with a future on the real waves she surfs. When she comes back from a loss, beating the odds and never saying never, she becomes a champion.
132* All Violet from ''Film/ShesTheMan'' wants to do is play soccer. When the girls' team gets cut and she isn't allowed to try out for the boys team she realizes that if she joins the rival team and beats the school that rejected her she can prove that she should get to play.
133* A passion for soccer is the common bond for the girls in ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham'', covering not only the leads but their teammates and rivals.
134* Erin Clavelli in ''Film/ByTheSword'' starts off as rather subpar, but under Suba's training, is able to beat Villard's star pupil Jim Trebor in a competition bout.
135* ''Film/AsOne'' is a Korean film about the North Korea-South Korea unified team that competed at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. The protagonists are two women players, one from the North and one from the South, who start off as bitter rivals but become fast friends by the end. The men's team players are little more than extras.
136* ''Film/ChaletGirl'': Kim is one since she was a little child, being a skateboarding champion when she was eleven, but had to quit her sports career due to her mother's death. During the movie, she reignites her passion and picks up snowboarding.
137* Frances in ''Film/FloatLikeAButterfly'' is enamored with becoming a boxer, despite major societal obstacles.
138%%* Monica Wright in ''Film/LoveAndBasketball''.
139* ''Film/{{Girlfight}}'': Diana, once she discovers boxing, becomes extremely into the sport, channeling her aggression and her tendency for fighting into her training. She grows very good, enough to win most of her bouts, including the boys she fights in most cases. She's proud and unapologetic about it, in spite of her father objecting.
140* ''Film/TheNovice'': Alex is extremely into rowing, to the point that it's self-destructive. She's dead set on being the best, no matter what. [[spoiler:It's so much her girlfriend breaks off their relationship since she can't stand to see Alex harm herself doing this.]]
141* ''Film/PerfectAddiction'': Sienna is a committed, skilled MMA fighter who enjoys the sport very much, mostly as a trainer at first though she's no slouch in the ring too. Athena, another female fighter, is undefeated until Sienna beats her.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Literature]]
145* Leslie from ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'' is better at running than the boys and is teased for it, but makes a friend in the main character, who got her the chance to run.
146* The ''Literature/DearAmerica'' book ''With the Might of Angels'' has Dawnie who is teased for playing baseball but the joke's on the boys who tease her because she is proud of it.
147* Kristin Amanda "Kristy" Thomas from ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' loves sports, and even coaches a softball team for small children. She called it Kristy's Krushers, which includes many of the club's sitting charges.
148* In ''Literature/GirlsKingdom'', Minako Torano is a brilliant and dedicated volleyball player, stated to be world-class, and loving every second of it. She trains hard every day to get better and better. During the story, two decidedly non-athletic types challenge her to get her to agree to a sponsorship deal with a fourth character, and it goes about how you would expect. When one of them tries to catch her serve with one outstretched arm, it nearly breaks said arm, at which point Minako calls it off, because she doesn't want to hurt them.
149* ''Literature/HarryPotter''
150** The most prominent is Ginny Weasley, who has been breaking into the family's broom shed since she was six and taking each of her brothers' brooms out in turn to practice, eventually making the house team in book five. She goes on to play professionally for her favourite team, the Holyhead Harpies, and later becomes the senior Quidditch correspondent for the ''Daily Prophet''.
151** When Angelina Johnson becomes the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain in book five, she gets so into it Harry starts to worry she's channelling the previous captain Oliver Wood's spirit.
152** According to Pottermore, Professor [=McGonagall=] was like this when she was younger, and even as a prim-and-proper older woman and SternTeacher she's still very passionate about her House's Quidditch team. When they win the cup in the third book, Harry catches sight of her drying her eyes on a flag.
153* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has LittleMissBadass Arya Stark, who spurns ladylike activities in favour of swordplay. Her late aunt Lyanna Stark was an ardent horse rider.
154** Unfortunately, Lady Brienne of Tarth acts as the counter-point, showing that women who do get their dream of being knights find it's not all it's cracked up to be.
155* In the ''Literature/StarDarlings'' franchise, Astra has mastered every sport at the academy.
156* Creator/MalgorzataMusierowicz has given us Gabriela, the star basketball player who's {{Tomboy}} and happy about it.
157* Devika in ''Literature/PrincessHolyAura'' is the captain of the Whitney High girl's basketball team while still a sophomore.
158* Becky O'Callahan in ''Literature/KingOfTheBench'' joins every team that Steve does in each book.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
162* Mary Camden from ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' plays on the girls' basketball team and is seen as a girl who would give the guys a hard time because of her self-confident nature.
163* Samantha "Sam" Kepler from ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' participates in every sport her male friends do and would much rather be taking karate lessons than dance lessons.
164* When Laura Ingalls from ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' acts like her spunky, baseball-playing self, she attracts a guy who plays, too.
165* Jane Vaughan of ''Series/{{Degrassi|TheNextGeneration}}'' just wants to play football despite the harassment from her teammates. She's good, too.
166* ''Series/LazyTown'': While active in general, Stephanie seems to have a preference for baseball.
167* Moze from ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' is good enough to get into all the sports teams in her middle school, loves sports, and is co-captain of the volleyball team. She's the most athletic of the main trio, and she was even easily able to make the wrestling team, beating all the guys on the team without getting even a little winded. Plus, she has more athletic records than anyone in Polk Middle School history.
168* Joan Watson on ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' is seen regularly jogging, enjoys watching baseball games, and is implied to have played soccer when she displays knowledge of the sport.
169* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Emily loves her sports.
170* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
171** Kira Nerys is shown early on to be a fan and amateur player of the Bajoran sport springball, and even bonds with her first LoveInterest Vedek Bareil Antos over the sport.
172** Baseball fell out of favor on Earth in the 21st century, with the last World Series played in the 2040s. However, Ben Sisko is a fan, and first becomes attracted to his LoveInterest Kasidy Yates over her enjoyment of Cestus III's baseball league (her brother plays for one of the teams).
173* ''Series/Stargirl2020'':
174** Artemis is absolutely devoted to playing football, excelling even against boys who outweigh her quite a bit. She's also a JerkJock about it and encouraged by her parents all the way (since both have the same attitude plus a history in sports).
175** To a lesser extent, Courtney herself when it comes to gymnastics. She has several gymnastics trophies throughout her room and is pretty bummed to learn that the high school she's transferring to no longer has a gymnastics team.
176* Vanessa from the TV film ''Series/OddGirlOut''. She's passionate about soccer, and Emily bonds with her over their love of it.
177* In ''Series/MustangsFC'', Marnie is extremely passionate about soccer; going so far as to start her own team.
178%%* Tess from ''Series/RavensHome''.
179* ''Series/OddSquad'': Olive absolutely loves any and all sports, especially when it concerns her favorite team, the Burly Bears. When she gets a chance to play basketball for the Bears in "Bad Luck Bears", she's initially doubtful before deciding to go for it and ends up securing a win for the Bears against the opposing team, the Rambunctious Rams. She even won the O Games back in 2013, one year before the events of the episode "The O Games".
180* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'' has possibly the whole WHS Yellowjackets girls' soccer team, but Jackie stands out for mocking a restaurant sign that praises the boys' baseball team despite the fact that they were under .500 all season, whereas the girls' soccer team is going to the nationals.
181* ''Series/TheLWord'': Dana is a professional tennis player and very into her sport.
182* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': Missy becomes one in "Pongo Pygmaeus and a Culture that Encourages Spitting", after she starts playing baseball, and the girls at school, Brenda Sparks, and the boys on the opposing teams all make fun of her.
183* ''Series/AmazingStories2020'': In "[[Recap/AmazingStories2020TheHeat The Heat]]" Tuka and Sterling are both keen track runners. Both help each other train and are shown running multiple times.
184* ''Series/HalloAusBerlin'': Esther likes playing sports, especially track and field.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
188* Red on ''Series/FraggleRock''.
189[[/folder]]
190
191[[folder:Roleplay]]
192* Jemimah from ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'' is a DumbJock who lives and breathes judo, a passion she [[LikeParentLikeChild inherited]] from her mother. Her dream is to become the world judo champion and to have her own dojo.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Video Games]]
196* According to the lore of the ''VideoGame/FusionFall'' fan-recreation ''[=FusionFall=] Legacy'', Buttercup is a field hocky player. Buttercup is a hot-blooded and sporty girl.
197* Anemone in ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'' loves playing [[FictionalSport sportsball]] at the garrison, and you can join her for a match with her brother Kom.
198* While ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' has many action girls who double as martial artists, the closest to this trope is Hinako Shinjou... who actually wants to be [[GlacierWaif a sumo wrestler]] since she believes that being a girl should not be an obstacle to do so.
199* Downplayed with Mami Koda in ''VideoGame/LostJudgment''. She's a big fan of basketball, but her lack of skill resulted in her being mocked by Mikoshiba and bullied by her peers, which diminished her passion for the sport. Nonetheless, Yagami still encourages her to continue pursuing the sport, regardless of what others think.
200* ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'', one of the ''Tokimeki Memorial'' series' {{Spiritual Successor}}s, has Hanna Shawski, a dedicated track runner who also has traits (short messy brown hair) and manners ({{Bokukko}}) of the trope, and hopes to go to a reputed foreign sports academy after High School. However, her [[TheRival arch rival]] [[TheAce Linda Zakroyd]] [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter always beats her]] during Sports Festivals, driving her to become better.
201* Rio Iwasaki from ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'' serves as the Chariot Social Link for the female protagonist, and is a member of either the Gekkoukan tennis or volleyball teams depending on which one the protagonist joins. Notably, her incredible drive somewhat alienates her from her other teammates.
202* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'': Natsu Ayuhara is the captain of Gorin High's all-girl volleyball team and a strong swimmer. The ending of the Platform/PlayStation version even shows her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77PXVfkeDGY&feature=related spear fishing (0:22).]] Her teammates all [[CoolBigSis look up to her]] and consider her a role model.
203* In all of the sports spin-offs of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' where she's playable (such as ''Mario Tennis'', ''Mario Golf'', ''Mario Strikers'' and even the Olympics crossover games), [[TomboyPrincess Princess Daisy]] qualifies as this trope. She's always confident and upbeat when it comes to playing and gets overly excited when winning. Following her first playable appearance in ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' for Platform/Nintendo64, Daisy has become a recurring playable character in almost every ''Mario'' sports game since.
204* In the first three levels of ''VideoGame/{{Unpacking}}'', the protagonist has a soccer ball and a soccer trophy, implying her love for the sport.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Visual Novels]]
208* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
209** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'':
210*** The swimmer Aoi Asahina is such a Passionate Sports Girl that her title is ''Ultimate Swimming Pro'' as well as the reason why she was chosen to be in Hope's Peak to start. And swimming's just what she's best at, as she participates in six different sports clubs.
211*** Counting UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts as a sport, then ''Ultimate Martial Artist'' Sakura Ogami fits as well.
212** Both Aoi and Sakura [[{{Expy}} are succeeded]] in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' by ''Ultimate Gymnast'' Akane Owari. [[spoiler:However, with Akane it turns out to be subverted: she explains in her Free Time events that she only does gymnastics because she can win lots of money at competitions (she comes from a very poor household ''and'' witnessed lots of unpleasant crap in her DarkAndTroubledPast), and despite [[DumbJock not being very bright]] she just so happens to be '''really''' good at it.]]
213* Rachel from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' is such a good skier that the protagonist suggested that she make a bid for the Olympics. [[spoiler:She eventually does, edging him out in the qualifier and going on to win a bronze medal.]]
214* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
215** Hisao's prospective love interest Emi Ibarazaki is the star runner on her school's track team... despite ''having lost her legs and running with special prosthetics''.
216** Miki Miura is also a runner in the team -- and she actually lost her left hand.
217* Sasami Sasasegawa from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' is the ace of the girls' softball team, and was allowed to compete in matches during her first year of high school because of her skills. Her route also reveals that she chose to enroll in the school the characters attend because of its softball program, despite protests from some of her family.
218* ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'':
219** Otome Katou, in both the anime and the original game, is the star of the basketball team.
220** Nanami is also a sportswoman, good enough to be a ScholarshipStudent.
221* ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'', being a DatingSim, has several of these. The first one and trend-setter is the swimmer and {{Bokukko}} Nozomi Kiyokawa from the first game (and to a much lesser degree, tennis player Yukari Koshiki, who's a member of the tennis team but is more relaxed about the sports); we also have Rumi Kanbe (track runner) and Sayo Tsukimura (volleyball) from the second game (more exactly, from [[AllThereInTheManual related side-materials]]), as well as main heroine Hikari Hinomoto; and Itsuki Maeda (soccer) from the fourth.
222* Chiemi Fujimoto of ''VisualNovel/TrueLoveJunaiMonogatari'' is both one of the love interests and the captain of the girl's swimming club in the PlayerCharacter's school. Two specific moments in her route are related to sports: the PC can find her jogging at some point and they have a cute talk (and he finds out that [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes she loathes bugs]]), and the other happens when [[spoiler: they have a swimming competition, she rescues him from drowning, and then have a tryst in a small island located near the harbor.]]
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Web Animation]]
226* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Whitney's love for sports is actually what lets her bond with Dave.
227* ''WebAnimation/MangaHeaven'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKCSmMyyr40 Yuki]] is the pitcher of the baseball team Kazuma joined in high school.
228* ''WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory'': While we don’t actually see her playing a sport, Epically Avoids You spends the trailer focusing on her health and fitness to build muscle for some purpose, quite likely some sport, making this an ImpliedTrope.
229[[/folder]]
230
231[[folder:Webcomics]]
232* ''Webcomic/ForestHill'': Tanya can hold her own in most sports, but when it comes to playing Wall Ball, she absolutely dominates.
233[[/folder]]
234
235[[folder:Western Animation]]
236* Francine from the PBS animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' is not only passionate about sports but is the key to victory in many competitions.
237* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
238** In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTophBeifong Toph Beifong]] competes in underground Earthbending tournaments (think Earthbending mixed with pro-wrestling) and loves every minute of it. She's also the undefeated champion for ''several years'' by that point, and she's only 12 when we meet her.
239** [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Korra]], the title character from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', loves "[[FictionalSport Pro-Bending]]" so much that she [[JumpedAtTheCall joined a pro-bending team]] when the opportunity to do so presented itself. She’s also excited to get Toph’s grandsons, Wei and Wing, to teach her how to play their metalbending game when she learns how to do it.
240* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieSpySquad'', Franchise/{{Barbie}} and her friends are proud of being gymnasts and ''very'' good at it, which is what catches Zoe's eye.
241* Maria Wong from ''WesternAnimation/{{Braceface}}'' loves sport, especially extreme sports, and is always trying to get her friends to join her, but Sharon and Connor do not share Maria's thirst for danger or competitive streak.
242* Patti Mayonnaise in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' is a passionate athlete, playing sports such as track, basketball, baseball (to a point where [[BaseballEpisode two episodes titled "Doug Out In Left Field" and "Doug On First"]] [[ADayInTheLimelight revolved around her]]), and of course, Beet Ball. The only sport she doesn't seem to be good at (and in which Doug is better than her) is bowling.
243* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': The iteration of WesternAnimation/LolaBunny introduced in ''Film/SpaceJam'' is a no-nonsense, sporty tomboy who is great at basketball, and ends up being [=LeBron=] James' [[TheLancer Lancer]] in [[Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy the sequel]]. She gets retooled into a ValleyGirl in ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', however, but ''WesternAnimation/NewLooneyTunes'' [[CompositeCharacter combines the two iterations]].
244* Lynn Loud Jr. from ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' is probably the most prominent example of this trope in animation of TheNewTens. She's played on teams for football, lacrosse, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, and roller derby, and has won championship games in all of them ([[spoiler:except basketball]]). She even has various pre-game rituals for good luck. Additionally, she's a huge fan of Mexican wrestling and loves practicing it herself, and has also stated that she's waiting for air hockey to become recognized as an Olympic sport. Unusually for a female character, she's a DumbJock and also a bit of a JerkJock ([[CompetitionFreak she's quick to turn anything into a competition]] or use physical force to get her way), though [[LovableJock she's still portrayed as sympathetically]] as the rest of her siblings.
245* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Vera loves basketball, seeing as she is on the school basketball team, and is shown to be competitive in "Mollyball".
246* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
247** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicRainbowDash Rainbow Dash]] is a tomboy who excels at flying and dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, an elite stunt flying/rescue team. She eventually does join the Wonderbolts in a later season.
248** Spitfire, ''leader'' of the Wonderbolts, is a mare. She also acts (keyword: ''Acts'') like a DrillSergeantNasty while training the rookies at the Wonderbolt's Academy.
249* Daisy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Oswald}}'' is a sporty sunflower who loves unicycles and roller-skating.
250* Reggie from ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' is just as passionate about extreme sports as her brother Otto. She has also been shown to enjoy the regular sport of volleyball in a few episodes.
251* In one of the [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]] specials, Peppermint Patty reveals that she's an excellent ice skater and the plot follows her as she gets ready for a contest. [[spoiler: She's almost disqualified when her music tape is broken, but Woodstock improvises a whistling melody to help her.]]
252* Sandy Cheeks of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' takes "extreme sports" to a whole new level. Favorite pastimes include cycling through the ''industrial'' park and finding a hay in a needle stack.
253* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' has a few examples, most notably [[NiceGirl Sky]], [[HairTriggerTemper Eva]] and [[PragmaticVillainy Jo]]. The latter two are semi-antagonistic, but not completely stereotypical {{Jerk Jock}}s.
254* Alex from ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' is the most athletic of the three, although her favorite sport appears to be soccer.
255* Lor from ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' ''lives'' for sports. Intellectual pursuits... [[BookDumb not so much.]]
256* The ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution's'' version of Jean Grey is not only a member of the X-Men, but also a skilled soccer player and the captain of the girls' team in her school. [[spoiler: Sadly, she's kicked out of the team when it's revealed that she's a mutant.]]
257* Zeke's crush Maxine in ''WesternAnimation/ZekesPad''. She is on the relay team, and loves skateboarding, camping, and hiking. In "Gender Render", it is revealed that she she gets up at 5 a.m. every day to train.
258[[/folder]]
259
260[[folder:Real Life]]
261* [[https://sg.news.yahoo.com/break-nail-worlds-heaviest-female-083646252.html Sharran Alexander]] is the world's fattest female sumo wrestler and trying to make headway for more women to get involved in sumo. Not only is she a jock and proud of it, she's also FatAndProud.
262[[/folder]]

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