This literary analysis draws upon navigational identity theory to examine the experiences of female protagonists who choose to play on boys' athletic teams. The study analyzes ten middle grade and young adult novels published between 2005 and 2017 to explore the question, How are the female protagonists represented in the navigation of changing identities as they move into a male-dominated sporting space? Findings center on how, in this process of navigating two spaces, the female athletes are described as able to separate themselves from the girls but unable to fully join the boys. In the authorial construction of their identities, they struggle to navigate the culture of power (i.e. the male world of sport) as successfully because they are unable to avoid internalizing the perspectives of those in positions of power. The institutional structures of sport reinforce traditionally masculine norms and demand conformity by female athletes even though these athletes are non-conforming in their desire to play on boys' teams. This demand for conformity is reaffirmed in this literature and illustrates how inequities can be maintained and reproduced through story. The piece offers suggested classroom activities designed to offer both critique and alternatives to the ways in which female athletes are positioned in fiction and on the field.