Teen Drama Athletes
One of the common character archetypes on the teen dramas is the athlete.
In fact, “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” “Gossip Girl,” and “90210” all had athletes among their main characters. But each version was a little different and none was a stereotypical “jock.”
Let’s suit up and look at which teen drama characters hit the fields and the courts.
Beverly Hills, 90210
Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering)
While Steve is generally portrayed as a spoiled, dim-witted slacker in high school and college, some episodes of “Beverly Hills, 90210” feature the character in sports-specific storylines. The first comes just five episodes into the series — in “One on One,” Steve tries out for the basketball team but doesn’t make the cut.
Apparently he’s better at running, as in season two, Steve is shown as a member of the track and field team. Meanwhile, in season four, Steve is benched during a volleyball game with his fraternity, and in season seven, he takes on crew and a basketball tournament. And who can forget Steve golfing with his dad?
Dawson’s Creek
Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith)
On “Dawson’s Creek,” Jack gets into sports in season three in a rather unexpected, happenstance way. Walking by the football field with Jen, he catches an errant ball and then another one, impressing Dawson’s dad Mitch, who is the team’s coach. Invited to try a few drills, Jack shocks with his natural skills and is persuaded to join the team. He worries he won’t be accepted in the sports world due to his sexual identity — an issue that does, in fact, arise two episodes later.
The O.C.
Luke Ward (Chris Carmack)
Sure, Ryan has a brief dalliance with soccer — and by that, I mean he tries out for the team but becomes preoccupied with competing against Luke for Marissa’s affections — but it’s Luke who is introduced as the show’s athlete from the start, serving as captain of the water polo team. And yet we never actually see him play the sport. Go figure.
One Tree Hill
Nathan Scott (James Lafferty)
When “One Tree Hill” begins, Nathan is the star player on the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team, and he holds onto that distinction even as half-brother Lucas unexpectedly joins the team. Nate goes on to succeed far beyond most high school (and college) athletes — he actually makes it to the NBA! He is, without a doubt, the most successful teen drama athlete.
Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray)
If basketball was a career for Nathan long before he actually went pro, it’s more or less a hobby for Lucas when “One Tree Hill” starts. It takes a lot of persuasion to get him to join — and stay — on the Ravens. Throw in a rivalry with Nate, torment from their shared father, and a heart condition, and you’ll understand why Luke’s game-winning shot at the state championship brings viewers to tears.
Antwon “Skills” Taylor (Antwon Tanner)
Like Lucas, Skills’s basketball playing is confined to the River Court at the start of “One Tree Hill” — and long after. In fact, he doesn’t join the Ravens until season four, but the payoff comes when he becomes a key member of the team on their quest for the state championship. What makes Lucas and Skills’ journeys all the sweeter are that they eventually give back by becoming coaches of the next generation of Ravens.
Gossip Girl
Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford)
If I tell you Nate was a lacrosse player, you might say, “Wait — really?” Truth be told, he was, but it’s such an extremely minor aspect of his character. So minor, actually, that “Gossip Girl” never actually shows him playing. This is a significant contrast from the Gossip Girl novels, where Nate’s high school lacrosse career comes up repeatedly.
90210
Ethan Ward (Dustin Milligan)
Well, here’s another lacrosse player! In this case, though, we actually see Ethan on the field in “90210.” His athleticism is presented as one of his core character traits, at least at the start of the series, where he has a bit of a “star high school athlete” persona. But given that the powers that be decided to write Ethan out after the show’s first season, we never get the chance to see where his sports prowess takes him.
Dixon Wilson (Tristan Wilds)
After Dixon enrolls at West Beverly, the “90210” pilot shows him joining Ethan on the lacrosse team. The plotline continues into the series’ second episode, but being an athlete doesn’t turn out to be a major part of his overall arc beyond the first season. On the contrary, Dixon ends up going in a very different direction — he enters the music world.
Teddy Montgomery (Trevor Donovan)
Teddy is introduced in season two as a superstar teenage tennis player and we see him on the court a fair bit. All that changes the next season when an earthquake-caused injury (yes, you read that correctly) permanently ends his career. The devastating news sends Teddy on a drunken downward spiral, which eventually leads to his coming-out storyline.
Basketball, football, tennis, lacrosse — all those and more sports were represented across the teen dramas. We had athletes winning high school championships, joining professional sports leagues and becoming coaches… and all that was just on “One Tree Hill.” It’s the lone teen drama of the core six with sports baked into its DNA, so it’s no surprise the show featured our most athletic characters. I even left out some that one could argue deserve to also be on this list: Peyton, Brooke, Haley and Rachel, the Ravens cheerleaders who not only added some pep on the basketball sidelines but also competed in tournaments.
Now, I must ask: Who would you draft onto your teen drama fantasy sports team?
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