Look, we all love watching the Super Bowl (by which we mean Beyoncé's halftime show on repeat), but no one loves the NFL more than the classic pop culture jock. You know him well: He's tall, he's handsome, he's much better at tackling helmet-wearing bros than tackling his homework, and he may or may not dare his best friend to date the school nerd just to be a jerk. In other words, he's a total cliché.
In reality, jocks are normal humans like everyone else — but that doesn't mean we can't pay our respects to some of their stereotypical pop culture forefathers. Check out the most clichéd (but occasionally lovable) jocks from movies and TV in the list below. And fear not, Harry Potter is on this list because Harry Potter should be on all lists.
Dean Sampson, Jr. in *She's All That*
You might remember Paul Walker as the shirtless dude with frosted tips in She's All That. You know, the one who bet Zack to take Laney on a date? Kind of a jerk, yeah, but he's basically the '90s' answer to Cupid.
Mike Dexter in Can't Hardly Wait
Mike Dexter had all the classic qualities of the stereotypical jock: he dated the most popular girl in school, pounded beer like it was his job, and wore hilariously tight T-shirts. Plus, he lost his girlfriend to the "class nerd," and considering his girlfriend was circa-1998 Jennifer Love Hewitt, this was a huge fail.
Steve Stifler in American Pie
Oh, Stifmeister, bless you! This fun-loving lacrosse player is probably best known for his infamous mom, but he can always be relied upon to a) make everyone uncomfortable, b) be shirtless, and c) use phrases like "vagina shark" (which, ew).
Andrew Clarke in The Breakfast Club
Sure, The Breakfast Club is all about breaking social stereotypes, but Andrew's called "The Athlete" for a reason. He might be more than his varsity jacket, but dude still spends his time wearing a Nike man-tank, that's all we're saying. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Joey Donner in 10 Things I Hate About You
The thing that makes Joey so special is that he has the attitude of a jock, but he's actually an aspiring male model/hair gel enthusiast. Dream combo, right?! Joey's jockittude manifested in extreme narcissism, a terrifying obsession with coiffed locks, and — yep, engaging in classic romance-centric school dare.
Cormac McLaggen in Harry Potter
That's right, guys, Quidditch teams have jocks too. Please get reacquainted with Cormac McLaggen, Team Gryffindor's resident keeper who had a crush on Hermione Granger. Poor dude had to repeat his seventh year, perhaps due to a bludger to the head, but probably due to cliché overload.
AC Slater in Saved by the Bell
Not only was AC Slater the owner of the greatest mullet of all time, he happened to be a jock. Between the skin-tight wrestling tanks and the fact that he seemed to think high-waisted jeans + an unbuttoned top = an acceptable outfit, Slater was a true gift. Also, remember when this happened? Slaters gonna slate slate slate slate!
Aaron Samuels in *Mean Girls*
Unlike his jock predecessors, Aaron Samuels was a pretty nice — if slightly simple — fellow. But he did have several movie-jock tendencies: he wasn't particularly smart (no offense, we love you forever, Aaron), he was attracted to the "popular girl," and (most importantly) he had Zac Efron hair. Considering that Zac Efron is a gift from the Bro Gods, this is a big deal.
Rob Geller in Never Been Kissed
Look, we know Rob Gellar posed as a high school student (#creepy), but don't you dare judge him, sob. Rob just wanted to achieve his high school baseball dreams and be the best jock he could be, guys! WEEPING Also, the internet is a tragic GIF-less wasteland when it comes to Rob, which has us feeling like this.
Will Belmont in Scream
Not to be dramatic, but the day Will Belmont died in Scream was the worst day of our lives. Will served up jock realness like it was his job: he was cocky, athletic, and all about living that "Sports Scholarship Life." And, yes, he was part of a bet to get his girlfriend to sleep with him. Because of course!
