We're Entering the Era of the 'SoftJock.' What will this Mean for Gay Men?

Forget Hollywood, the Softjock has even hit the sports arena. Whether it's Travis Kelce unabashedly gushing over his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, at her concerts, or Miami Heat power forward Kevin Love spouting mental health advocacy and collecting fine art, jocks are no longer the hazing, beer-guzzling a-holes they once were. As Bustle says, "Men have learned they can cut a formidable figure while maintaining a decidedly unformidable vibe – or, more simply, they can have their sports and their feelings, too."

So how do gay men feel about this?

We've always had a complicated relationship with jocks. When young, we may have felt conflicting feelings of both lust and fear for the hyper-masculine sports-loving dudes in our classrooms. After all, the handsome quarterback undressing in the locker room was irresistible to look at, but at the same time, if he were to ever sense your fixation, you might be ridiculed...or worse.

So, if the SoftJock means the death of the old school jock, that's a good thing, right?

Some think so. When masc daddy Pedro Pascal flashed a leg in short-shorts on the red carpet, maybe what he was conveying was that all of us should learn to be more flexible when it comes to our gender expression. Perhaps, if the jock is softening, society as a whole is becoming more accepting, and we can lean into our gay-ness even more, with less fear of judgement.

At the same time, some critics feel that the "soft" part can only exist if the "jock" part is attached, so we have a long way to go. If Travis Kelce wasn't 6'5 and able to bench 250 pounds, would he be as accepted for his adorable antics, like adorning the cutesie nickname "Tay" to his main squeeze while on a podcast with his brother, Jason? The verdict is still out. Is the SoftJock a refreshing move in the right direction, or a false sign of progress, proving that male vulnerability is only accepted if it comes with ripped abs and a Super Bowl victory?

Regardless, we applaud the widening of our definitions of what it means to be a man, or even a jock. Maybe they don't have to be as one-dimensional as once thought. Our only caveat – let's not wipe away the traditional jock archetype completely. As gay men, do we really want to eliminate all jock porn and locker room fantasies?

Somehow "Softjock" porn doesn't' quite have the same ring to it.