The world of sports is undergoing a quiet revolution, and it's all thanks to a viral queer ice hockey rom-com that's capturing hearts and minds. 'Heated Rivalry', a show that hit our screens in November, is not just a feel-good story; it's a powerful statement about the potential for change in a sport often plagued by hypermasculinity and homophobia. With its impact already felt in North America and Australia, the show is a shining example of how inclusive and diverse storytelling can drive a new playbook for the industry.
Based on a book series by the Nova Scotian romance author Rachel Reid, the show tells the tale of two fictional ice hockey players - Canada's Shane Hollander and Russia's Ilya Rozanov - and their journey from rivals to lovers. It explores queer love and acceptance in a men's professional sport setting, a bold move in a genre often dominated by a culture of hypermasculinity and homophobia.
Written by an ice hockey fan uncomfortable with the sport's often-pervasive hypermasculine attitude, 'Heated Rivalry' has become one of the most talked-about television events of the year. It demonstrates the power of popular culture to drive change, and the potential for sports to become more inclusive and diverse.
In Australia, while the NBL's Isaac Humphries and the A-League footballer Josh Cavallo have been active and out athletes, there's still a long way to go to demonstrate genuine acceptance for queer people in sport. That's where 'Heated Rivalry' comes in, depicting a sporting environment where queer stories shine.
Dr Ryan Storr, a diversity and inclusion expert, highlights the importance of exploring diverse stories in sport. He says, 'Too often LGBTIQA+ athletes are hidden, silenced, or openly vilified.' The show does a great job of showcasing not just the love story, but also the athletes' private lives and the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.
'It's exhausting, stressful, and we know through research that it leads to poor mental health outcomes,' Storr says. 'The Australian sport sector has made a great start with increased activity in this space in the past couple of years, but some sports still view diversity and the various communities as too difficult.'
'Heated Rivalry' shows there is a market and strong business case for adopting LGBTIQA+ inclusive practices and cultures, which will benefit not only the LGBTIQA+ communities but the wider fandom and sport community too. Sports romance is part of a broader trend, with shows like 'Drive to Survive' and Taylor Swift's attendance at NFL games providing a pop culture-led entry point to sport.
However, it's hard to imagine a culture so far removed from Australia driving impact here. Dr Kyle Rich, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in Canada, says, 'Hockey culture in Canada is fraught with problems, and recently we’ve learned about how it’s systemic. So, I don’t necessarily think that is something to try and replicate.'
Despite this, ice hockey enjoys a strong community in Australia, with established queer clubs in Melbourne and Sydney working to make the sport more inclusive and challenge some of its cultural problems. Kade Matthews, founder of Southern Lights Ice Hockey in Melbourne, says, 'We’re seeing a lot of interest coming in from people interested in 'Heated Rivalry', and this really demonstrates one thing to me: our queer community really wants to play sport, but often doesn’t see themselves in it.'
'Heated Rivalry' gives people the courage to get in contact with these clubs because they’ve finally seen a version of sport - in this case, ice hockey - that includes them. It's about friendship and acceptance over results, and feeling you have a space rather than fighting for a spot in a squad. 'We’re all humans first, athletes second,' Matthews says.
The sports romance audience overlaps heavily with the self-professed category of 20% of Australians being 'sports haters', which includes young women. This same market segment comprises some of the most frequent and most engaged social media users, which at least in part explains the fan-led response and popularity explosion for a show made in Canada with a modest budget, unknown actors, and minimal marketing.
Australian sporting organizations can take some lessons in how to leverage such interest. For example, the Canadian ice hockey team's social media manager met the moment and embraced the crossover opportunity by engaging with fans' desire to source the fleece Hollander wore at the show's fictionalization of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
By joining the conversation and pitching to have the fleece merchandise manufactured in real life for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Games, the social media manager brought in new fans and amplified Team Canada's profile. 'Heated Rivalry' shows there is an enormous under-serviced market hungry for diverse, quality content, and that the sporting clubs and organizations already doing the work need more support.
'The heavy lifting is currently being done by volunteers at clubs like Southern Lights, always with our own resources, from our own people. It’s time for these organizations to get on board, listen to the clubs already doing the work, and proactively support them,' Matthews says.
