Heated Rivalry, a sports romance novel, suddenly surged into one of the biggest television shows on the planet. Online, audiences shared their thoughts on the romance between hockey rivals, and the buzz spread fast.
Kurt Weaver, executive director of You Can Play, said many LGBTQ+ athletes stay quiet about their queer identities to continue in the sport.
“Sport has been shaped by traditional ideas of masculinity, toughness and conformity … that created cultures of silence, where many LGBTQ+ athletes felt like they had to hide who they were just to belong,” Weaver said.
He explained the television show, based on the book written by Canadian Rachel Reid, broke stereotypes of how these athletes were portrayed in sports media. “They show queer athletes as complex, talented, competitive and human, just like any other player. They normalize LGBTQ+ identities within high-performance sport.”
Some NHL teams host a “Pride Night” during the season intended to show support for athletes who are scared to come out. Having these athletes represented in such a popular show in an important manner is important to the future of LGBTQ+ athletes and being normalized in sport, he said.
Isla Bui, a former high-performance hockey player looking at becoming an agent as a career, played boys hockey throughout high school. She saw stereotypes, like how people are portrayed as “weak,” or “feminine” in the media, while she proves that Heated Rivalry does not have to follow these stereotypes. She explained how Heated Rivalry did a good job of challenging these stereotypes through its main characters.
“Neither Ilya or Shane act in a way that is seen by their teammates as ‘weak’ or ‘feminine’, but rather strong, tall and skillful. This challenges the traditional stereotype that you need to be a certain way to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Bui referred to a viral moment in the show, where the characters reunite, which “shows how powerful their love is, that even breaking up didn’t stop Kip from showing up, or from Scott wearing Kip’s ‘lucky’ socks.”
She said this resonated with audiences because it showed emotional vulnerability as a form of strength and rejects the idea that professional athletes must suppress emotion to maintain toughness.
Taahirah Baksh who binge watched and enjoyed the show thought the show proved the demand for LGBTQ+ representation in sports media. “The response to the show shows that when LGBTQ+ stories are centered rather than sidelined, and when they’re told with care, confidence and have actors who really step into the part, there’s a large and enthusiastic audience ready to support them.”
Baksh noticed on social media there’s a big interest in these kinds of stories in sports media.
“I think the success of Heated Rivalry makes it very clear that audiences are eager for more LGBTQ+ stories that are treated with the same depth, range and emotional investment as straight romances,” Baksh said