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Thanks to some of our fan-favorite celebs like Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal, the idea of praising men's more feminine attributes with a cute little "babygirl" nickname started to gain some traction.
Outside of the realm of actors, over in the world of sports, another term that's started to catch on over the last few months is a "soft jock."
It all started back in February right before the Super Bowl when Bustle published a piece about the rise of the "soft jock," defining them as, "A new crop of athletes" who are "choosing to forgo alpha-maledom and instead embrace sensibilities their teammates might once have described as 'beta.'"
Well, we think there are more than a few queer athletes — and a few allies — who more than fit the bill. These men are rough on the exterior, but come with a heart of gold. Many of them stand proud in their queerness amidst a peer group that would, for the most part, likely not let them around the sport if it were really up to them.
Still, we love the idea of a good soft jock that you can snuggle up next to to keep you warm, so here are 10 of our favorites.
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Many of us were nothing short of shooketh when Carl Nassib became the first active NFL football player to come out as gay back in 2021. He posted the news on his Instagram account, where he also announced a donation of $100,000 to the Trevor Project. He partnered with the organization after he learned about their suicide prevention services, and if that isn't a guy you want to cuddle up with, we don't know how to help you.
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On the heels of the first active NFL player to come out is Luke Prokop, who takes the helm as the first NHL player in the same year to do so. When he did, he said, "I may be new to the community, but I am eager to learn about the strong and resilient people who came before me and paved the way so I could be more comfortable today." When he did so, USA Todayreported he was the first player to come out in NHL history, and he's continued to use his platform as a means of visibility for the LGBTQ+ population.
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Carl Nassib may have been the first active player to come out while he was already in the NFL, but Michael Sam was the first to come out as an openly gay man in the NFL Draft back in 2014. He told ESPN during an interview that he was coming forward as openly gay, saying, "I understand how big this is. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be... I want to be a football player in the NFL." Sadly, he was let go after his initial draft from the St. Louis Rams and wound up leaving the sport in 2015 altogether.
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In 2019, NFL veteran Ryan Russell came out as bisexual in an essay he wrote for ESPN. He told of a story of a gossip blogger who had threatened to out him during his time in the NFL, and feared what it may do to his career. In hindsight, though the blogger kept the story, Russell wrote, "Even though openly LGBTQ people are thriving in every area of public life -- politics, entertainment, the top corporations in America -- they are so invisible in pro sports that a gossip blogger is doing a favor for a bisexual football player by not disclosing that he happens to date men. Nobody should need a favor to live honestly. In nobody's worlds should being careful mean not being yourself. The career you choose shouldn't dictate the parts of yourself that you embrace."
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Let's just get this out of the way, Anthony Bowens is a hottie and we were stoked when he came out as gay in 2019. Granted, he had already previously come out as bisexual, though he affirmed he didn't do so to "hide" being gay. He's predominately used his platform as a supporter of queer rights and also scored the World Championship belt during the world's biggest professional wrestling event back in 2023. Plus, he's just really pretty look at, and if there was any soft jock whose eyes we'd want to lose ourselves in, it's his.
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Okay, so, Tom Daley is a bit of a babygirl-turned-soft jock for the purposes of this article, but he's just too cute not to mention. We've also gone over how he's a muscle twink, which is sort of the same thing anyway. Plus, we're totally waiting for him to join him on his boyfriend's OnlyFans, because he definitely seems to know how to treat his partners. We'd be lying if we said we didn't wonder what kind of flexibility tricks diving can bring into the bedroom, and he'd be a great person to show us how it's done.
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Colton Underwood has had quite the career, from starting out as an NFL player-turned-Bachelor star, then later came out to Good Morning America's Robin Roberts and landed a Netflix show called Coming Out Colton afterward. He's lived in a bit of a fairy tale when it comes to his romances since then, and his work with mental health advocacy and desire to help other people find love is something we'll always admire about him.
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Yes, Dave Bautista is an ally, but any wrestler who covers up a tattoo because of a homophobic friend is a soft jock if we've ever heard one. Besides that, Bautista is also the son of a lesbian, whom he honored with an Instagram post saying, "I was always proud of who my mom was because she was always proud of who she was. In your face, f*ck you if you don't like it, unapologetically loud and proud. And her son payed attention. BE LOUD, BE PROUD, BE YOU." If this doesn't prove Bautista is a real-life Guardian of the Galaxy, we don't know what will.
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The whole "soft jock" thing on Bustle really started around Travis Kelce, who made headlines ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl more for his relationship with Taylor Swift than for what he was bringing to the game. Described in the original soft jock article as "this Herculean, traditionally typically attractive 6'5" NFL tight end" who was also "vulnerable, sweet, and adoring," especially to Swift. I mean, he made his own friendship bracelets to court her and is the epitome of what the opposite of toxic masculinity looks like both on and off the field.
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Our final ally and soft jock is none other than Terry Crews, who's one of the most kind and loving hosts on America's Got Talent that you just want to hug. Well, hug him and watch him play around with his pec muscles at the same time, with as little clothing possible. He may have made some comments he's regretted in the past, but he's since apologized for them and we think he's deserving of some forgiveness.
