I never would have pegged myself as someone who wanted to read about "the sports", but there are some sweet and dramatic comics and graphic novels that have changed my mind about that in the past few years.

If you too are reluctant to read about the sportsball or sportsing, if you will, allow me to tempt you to change your mind with a few recent fun titles...
 

Fence series (volumes 1, 2, and 3) written by C.S. Pacat; illustrated by Johanna The Mad and Joana Lafuente
(Available on Hoopla)
Ostensibly a comic about the sport of fencing at a boarding school, it's REALLY about the tension and intrigue of half brothers who are now on opposing teams—one the privileged son of a fencing star and the other the unacknowledged illegitimate son with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Plus, David vs Goliath, behind the scenes romance, gender-fluid characters, and fencing groupies! Read this if you love your housewives real, your girls gossipy, and your relationships full of drama.

The Avant-Guards series (volumes 1 and 2) written by Carly Usdin; illustrated by Noah Hayes and Rebecca Nalty
(Available on Hoopla)
Art school friends form a ragtag basketball team! They are okay at it! Hilarious background characters! Witty naming conventions and setups! Actual lol opportunities with a sweet story about the journey from acquaintances to teammates to sweethearts. Read if you love "getting the band back together" or "putting on a show to save the theater" or anything where the "whole gang comes together to save the day". I love a heartwarming ensemble comedy myself!

Check Please!: #Hockey and Check Please!: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
(Available on Overdrive)
Ice Hockey, bros, excellent communication skills, baking, vlogging, college, coming out, parties, family dynamics, and lastly - non-toxic masculine friendships. Read if you love Schitt’s Creek, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, or basically anything Michael Schur has written / produced / created. 

Stage Dreams by Melanie Gilman
(Available on Overdrive)
Okay, so this is really a lush and warmly colored period piece set during the Civil War about a young woman who has run away from a society that assigned her male at birth, but there is also a stagecoach hold up and falling in love with your captor, plus stealing confederate plans and a very sweet trying-on-dresses montage. The sports aspect you ask? I really just love this sweet story so much that I’ve decided that since they ride horses that counts as sports, because I just want to talk about this story all the time, always. Read if you love historical romance, western themes, and acknowledging that gender is a construct.

These are just a few of my current favorites! Let me know about other similarly themed titles in the comments!