September 25, 2006 • Print This Post
The Steelers lost yesterday. You could even hear the collective groan in my town yesterday afternoon when Big Ben’s final pass of the game was picked off by the Cinci defense. It bit. Big time.
See, around here, the sidewalks are rolled up when the Steelers are playing. If you’re not into football, you could can go anywhere and not have to stand in line during game time. There’s no waiting at all at the drive thru at Mickey D’s, or even at the check out counter at Wally World. The mall is practically deserted, too. Ten minutes before kick off, you’ll hear cars racing up and down our street as folks hurry home from whatever last minute errands they were running, to plop down in front of the tube in time the game. In Western PA we take our football very seriously.
I’ve always been a Steeler fan, probably because my folks are from Pittsburgh. But in my deepest heart lies a true 49′er fan. I was heartbroken when we relocated from sunny Southern California and I realized that first year in North Dakota that I wouldn’t be seeing my precious 9′ers play every weekend on television. I am so not a Green Bay or Vikings fan, so for ten years, I didn’t spend too many of my Sunday afternoons in front of the television with a craft project watching the games as I’d done since I was in the sixth grade. In fact, I noticed the people of ND don’t get too worked up about football. We went to our local high school game once and I practically fell asleep it was so quiet. My sons played football from the time they were old enough to sign up for Pop Warner, and our eldest played all the way through high school. In Southern California, we took our football seriously, too. Our high school games, from Freshman ball all the way up through Varsity, were major events with lots of cheering and tons of noise. I think I knew for certain then that ND would never be considered home. I couldn’t live the rest of my life in a place that didn’t go crazy during a high school football game — that we were winning!
But when we finally escaped ND to relocate to PA two years ago, I quickly learned my football fanatisicm was going to be well fed. I should’ve realized this sooner. My mother who doesn’t know a lot about the game can kick butt in Steeler trivia. Did you know Burt Reynolds once played for the Steelers? My mom knew that one. And when she was a sweet young thing, she worked in a restaurant where the Steelers hung out. I’ve tried to grill her for details, but she’s remarkably silent on the subject. 
I don’t get see the 9′ers play all that often, but that’s okay. I live in Steel town!! It’s everything Steelers, everywhere you go. Our restaurants have Steeler specials during football season. Our grocery stores sell Steeler Snacks and Steeler gear. To us, Big Ben isn’t a tower in England, he’s our quarterback! And our news programming is practically all Steelers all the time, and when we’re in the play offs you’re lucky to get the weather report. The two weeks before last year’s Super Bowl, we had to watch Fox News or CNN to find out what was going on in the world because the local coverage was all about the Steelers.
So what do the Steelers have to do with writing or romance? Well, heroes, of course. We all know Susan Elizabeth Phillips has imortalized the fictional Chicago Stars - a fantabulous series and if you haven’t read any of these books, I highly recommend them (actually anything by the phenomenal SEP is awesome on my score board). But we’ve also heard, over and over again, that sports heroes don’t sell. I have to wonder about that, not just because SEP has successfully destroyed that “myth” over and over again with her awesome Chicago Stars heroes, but because I’m such a football fan.
What’s not to love about a football player? They’ve got bodies to die for, but granted they are on the big side. Charles Haley, a former 49er stepped on my foot once and said, “Sorry, I didn’t see you down there.” Now that boy was B.I.G! Football players are good looking, too. Joe Montana. Peyton Manning. Troy Aikman. Anyone remember the gorgeous Roman Gabriel? Hubba hubba!!
So here’s my question. Would you be interested in reading about a football hero in Brava? Yes, I do have an ulterior motive for asking this today, but we’ll talk about that later. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting to write a football series for a whole lot of years and leave it at that, okay? 
Talk to me. Tell me what you think about heroes as sports figures, and I’ll enter you in a random drawing for an ARC of my upcoming Brava romantic suspense, THE MATCHMAKER, due to hit the stands on Halloween!!
UPDATE: And the winner is…SUSAN! Susan, send me an email with your name and mailing address and I’ll get your prize in the mail to you ASAP!
Posted by Jamie Denton @ 4:28 am • Filed under: Jamie Denton
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I LOVE sports figures as heroes - I am a big baseball fan so I really enjoyed Kate Angell’s Squeeze play and there is another one coming out next year I think. Also Deirdre Martin’s hockey series and SEP Chicago Stars series. The storylines and characters are A-1.
I, too, enjoy reading athletes as the hero! So would I read your book?? Absolutely!! I think its fun to have heroes in different professions….and it’s even better if you are writing a series!!
Sure, I would read a story about a football hero.
As long as there is a good story and interesting characters, I will read it.
I am sure anything you write would be wonderful.
To me the characters job is not the drawing point but the writing style of the author combined with the story and hero/heorine interaction.
I do like sports figures as heroes. I have read some really good novels that had a sexy sports figure as the hero.
I love all sports and would enjoy football hero!
Did you really have to bring up the Steelers loss?!:cry:
Go Mets!:mrgreen:
I enjoy reading anovel about sports figures as heroes. It is an interesting glimpse into their lives and entertaining as well.
i love it cause i love sports but i would love to see a sports agent as a super hero
Athletes as heroes is an excellent storyline. They are characters whose lives are worthwhile and this makes a great novel.
I would love to read about a football player in a Brava. Football is one of my fave sports and I have grown up watching it (my bro played and now coaches at a high school). I love sports figures as heroes. I was just asking people the other day for some recommendations of romances with sports themes.
I would enjoy a Brava with football player. Carly Phillips had a series with baseball players and sports agents which I liked.
I love sports, so of course I would like to see books about sports heroes, especially football heroes!
I really love sport romances, but there are just too few of them. So far I have read hockey, NASCAR & Baseball stories, but never one about a Football player. I really would love to read one
I would love to read a story on sports. My favourite sports here in Canada is the CFL (Canadian Football) and then there is Hockey which I really get into, so I would love to read about that. There is seldom written about Sports figures.
I love football. I love books about sports. I am a juge fan of SEP Chicago Stars. I am actually writing a book with a football hero. I can’t help it, I live and breathe football from August until February. I would love to see Brava come out with a sports theme line. (I would love to turn in a manuscript for this line.) Football is wonderful, even for the wife, girlfriend, significant other that just isn’t that into it. Are a great win the stars are in alignment and the romance is in the air. After a lose, just leave us alone. Go Cowboys.
Sports doesn’t sell? Well it’s not the first time I heard it but I think they are wrong. I love SEPs Chicago Stars and Carly Phillip’s baseball players, and the new NASCAR collection from Harlequin and LuAnn McLane did an anthology around baseball Hot Summer Nights I loved it. I think the people that come up with these stats are basing it on what they don’t like.
I love to read sports heroes - Erin McCarthy’s ‘Lady of the Lake’ with a baseball player as the hero was hot, as were the Carly Phillips series others have mentioned, and I’m sure I’ve read a few others where the heroes were sports (or ex-sports) stars. I’m not a big football fan, but that’s because I’m in the UK, and we play *proper* football, lol, but I do love a bit of ice-hockey!
I sure would read a book with a football hero in it Jamie! Aren’t they just hunks?! With those rock hard bodies and cute little butts!:grin:
I think sports figures make great heroes also. There have been some great ones. That would make for a great story!
You know might hit on something big with a series about a baseball or football hero with a feisty little diva lady. I heard talk at my favorite bookstore just last Friday that guys are buying the Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum series books. The lady who manages the bookstore said the guys at the Mill, here where I live, are snatching them up like they are going out of style! Offer an exciting storyline that would appeal to both sexes and you got a winner!
I’m a sports fan and love a good book with a sports theme (one of my favorite sports series was actually a baeball mystery series set in the early 1900s). I love football (go Seahawks!) and would definately read a romance set in the football world.
Big congrats Susan!
wtg susan
Congratulations, Susan……….:smile:
Thanks so much for the congrats y’all!
A belated congrats to Susan!