The Canadian TV show Heated Rivalry recently went viral and garnered a worldwide audience far beyond its domestic market. Based on the popular novel by Rachel Reid, the series follows the secret romance between two professional hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, in a fictitious league.
The queer hockey romance was reported as the most watched original series on Crave and one of the top-rated non-animated series on HBO Max.
The show captivated audiences with steamy sex scenes, but similar to predecessors like Schitt’s Creek, it’s being touted as a Canadian cultural export and has people talking about the intersection of culture, sports and Canadian identity.
Queer people in sports
Queer inclusion in sport has become a political flashpoint. Heated Rivalry offers a timely opportunity to reflect on queer sports in the media, our communities and our national identity. It also illuminates how sports teams may lag behind other parts of society in their thinking about inclusion.
In recent years, there have been increased efforts to exclude and restrict the participation of 2SLGBTIQA+ people in sport. Governments in the United States and Alberta have introduced controversial policies targeting trans athletes specifically.
At the same time, professional sports leagues in many countries have taken steps, such as the introduction of Pride-themed events, intended to welcome queer people. But many have been criticized for tokenism and lack of authenticity — a phenomenon dubbed “rainbow washing.”
Hockey and inclusion initiatives
The NHL, and hockey more broadly, is experiencing a time of change. The league was an early partner in inclusive sport movements like the You Can Play Project and launched campaigns such as Hockey is for Everyone in attempts to reach wider audiences and “celebrate diversity and inclusion in hockey.”
However, in 2023, the league introduced a controversial policy that was widely interpreted as a ban on Pride Tape and likened to a “don’t say gay” policy in sports. Then, in early 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman showed up at a Pride Event during All-Star Weekend in Toronto to make a donation to a local gay hockey league.
Globally, Canada is often recognized as a leader in relation to sports inclusion. A long history of celebrated queer Canadian athletes — including Mark Tewksbury and Marnie McBean — as well as hockey players like Angela James, Brock McGillis and Harrison Browne have been outspoken advocates for inclusive sport. Browne, notably, also appears in Heated Rivalry as one of Rozanov’s teammates.
This reputation is reflected by Canadian sport governance. The government of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have clear positions and resources listed on their websites.
Sport Integrity Canada has commissioned research and taken a clear position on trans inclusion in sport. These initiatives are being implemented within national sport organizations such as Skate Canada.
However, professional sport leagues like the NHL operate outside of the sport governance system. As such, they are free to do their own thing. While they get much of the media attention, this doesn’t mean they are in touch with how Canadians feel about inclusion.
Are sport organizations out of touch?
In many ways, Heated Rivalry and the online response to it highlights how some professional sport organizations lag behind societal attitudes toward queer inclusion, and of gay men in particular. Our own research on Australian sporting organizations has shown how sporting institutions often trail broader social change.
While some teams try to leverage support for 2SLGBTIQA+ causes or interests to gain cultural capital and kudos, they often largely fail to advance genuine inclusion efforts towards queer athletes and staff in their own organizations.
There have been some important community-level efforts to make sport organizations more inclusive, and some national, provincial and community sport organizations in Canada are progressive in pursuing change.
However, organizational cultures are experienced differently across contexts, meaning inclusion is experienced unevenly and change remains slow.
While professional teams like the Professional Women’s Hockey League are champions of queer inclusion, men’s hockey seems to be lagging behind. In this context, gay hockey leagues provide important sport opportunities and act as advocates in their communities and the sport system.
For players in these leagues, Heated Rivalry invokes the fantasy to tell a story that we don’t yet have in real life.
Can ‘Heated Rivalry’ influence sport culture?
There has been a lot of online commentary focused on whether Heated Rivalry can lead to actual culture change in the NHL, ice hockey and sport more broadly.
The show draws attention to openly queer professional athletes. Athletes often hide who they are or moderate their behaviour in order to conform to dominant norms in sport.
This remains a persistent issue for many queer people in sport. A recent study shows that young athletes still choose not to come out to teammates for fear of being treated differently.
Hudson Williams, who plays Shane Hollander, has even spoken publicly about being contacted by closeted athletes who saw their own experiences mirrored in the show.
This is where where queer sport organizations play a critical role. Across the country, community-based queer sport groups have been working to offer safe and inclusive places to play.
What comes next?
We know that discrimination remains a key barrier for queer people in sport. In all contexts, addressing homophobia and broader 2SLGBTIQA+ discrimination must be a top priority. Homophobia in men’s sports is also a tool used to police masculinity and cause harm to straight men, meaning everyone stands to benefit from safer, more inclusive sporting environments.
The cultural relevance and global success of Heated Rivalry provides sports organizations, especially in Canada, an opportunity to step up efforts to make sport more inclusive for queer athletes.
It’s also a call for sports to listen to their fans and audiences. The show is a unique opportunity for queer athletes to imagine inclusion as a reality that could be realized beyond fantasy or utopia in a book.
The show has been renewed for a second season, with international releases now underway. Team Canada has even quipped that the fleece jacket featured in Episode 2 may be in the running as official team Canada merchandise. As such, this important and timely conversation is likely far from over.
Kyle Rich receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Ryan Storr consults to The Diversity Storr and Proud2Play. He has received funding from VicHealth and the Australian Sport Comission. He is affiliated with Proud2Play and the Diversity Storr.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
