‘Heated Rivalry’ takes gay sports romances off the ice and into the spotlight
It’s the show everyone is talking about — what is it about it that made it explode in popularity? Northeastern experts and fans share thoughts
The bestsellers shelf at Lovestruck Books and Cafe in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is typically filled withromantasy novels or the latest by rom-com writer Emily Henry. But walk into the romance bookstore now and the bestseller slots are stacked with the six books in author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series with “Heated Rivalry” being number one.
Sports stories don’t usually make the top spots, Lovestruck events manager Riley Mulroy told Northeastern Global News. That’s changed with the release of the TV adaptation of “Heated Rivalry.”
In late November, the first episode of the series based on the first two books in Reid’s Game Changers collection premiered on the Canadian streamer Crave. The show follows fictional professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov as a romance between them develops over years of competing against each other on rival teams. HBO Max later picked up the series for the U.S.
“Heated Rivalry” soon became Crave’s most-watched original series. It is HBO Max’s top debut for an acquired title. Bookstores, including Lovestruck, couldn’t keep Reid’s books in stock. The show’s stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, presented at the Golden Globes and were chosen as torchbearers, serving on the 49th leg of the torch relay for next month’s Winter Olympics.
At least one hockey player — American Jesse Korteum, who played in several leagues — has come out publicly and cited the show as inspiration. And social media is awash with discussion about the series.
“Certainly some of this is from marketing, but it goes beyond that,” said Patrick Mullen, an associate professor of English who teaches courses on queer theory at Northeastern University. “People seem to be talking about the show to say what things are important to them. The conversations about the show are so nuanced and diverse,” he said.
Social media posts about “Heated Rivalry” show that the fan base ranges in age, gender, sexuality and location. But fans who spoke with Northeastern Global News said they all share a love of the show and its characters, whether it’s the way it portrays mental health (such as Ilya’s struggles with depression and his traumatic upbringing), consent or Shane’s neurodivergence (the author has said he is autistic). Fans shared in interviews with NGN that they’re watching and rewatching the series, buying the books and even getting “Heated Rivalry” tattoos.
Jules Kelley, a 43-year-old customer success manager and writer from Orlando, Florida, was tattooed with a stamp featuring Ilya’s jersey number and a campfire, a homage to a scene when Shane and Ilya escape to his cottage.
“I don’t usually do fandom tattoos for brand-new things,” Kelley said in an interview with Northeastern Global News, referring to groups of people who share a passion for something. “But this felt like more than a fandom tattoo. It felt like a reminder to myself of this moment where so many people were rooting for a queer love story that did not shy away from queer sexuality and that was so important to me,” they said.
Both the show and the books feature explicit sex scenes, which Catherine Fairfield, a visiting teaching professor of English at Northeastern University, said are often not portrayed in traditionally produced works. This, she said, has helped differentiate it from other romances.
“When I watched it, it felt like watching on a big screen the experience of reading fan fiction,” said Fairfield. “Queer relationships being represented as the main plot and something that can be shown explicitly and romantically … is kind of groundbreaking.”
But fans say it’s about more than just the sex: the show also portrays gay joy and a happy relationship in spite of the odds.
“There’s a huge subset of romance consumers who see a lot of value in stories that have a degree of realism,” Fairfield said. “It still … offers the pleasure and relaxation of the story, but there’s a touch of high stakes.”
Katie Liestman, a 41-year-old Chicago mom who works in health care technology, loved the show so much that she took to social media to sell friendship bracelets inspired by it and donated the proceeds to The Trevor Project, raising over $10,000 for the nonprofit suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youths. Many also confided how the show affected them.
“The stories people shared with me … have been so uplifting at a time that feels so terrible,” she said. “It’s a beautiful reception (to a show) with a beautiful message. People can write it off as being smut or romance … but having something that allows us to know there’s happily ever after, there’s comfort in that.”
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The show still shows the reality for what it means to come out, especially as a professional athlete. It also addresses the complications for Ilya, a Russian national. Coming out for him would mean not being able to return to Russia, where the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters can be prosecuted.
Despite this, Aleksandra (who asked that her last name be withheld), a viewer who resided in Russia and now lives in Serbia, told NGN that gay romances are popular in the country. “Heated Rivalry” has been no exception; she said there are thousands of people watching the show on different pirating platforms and discussing it on the Telegram app.
“Reading such books and watching such shows is a way to experience a fairy tale that’s never going to happen in real life,” she said. “From the beginning, the interest in the show among Russian audiences was based on the fact that Ilya is a queer Russian character. Ilya, for the Russian fan base, is a pioneer.”
Homosexuality has generally been viewed as immoral in Russian society. In 2022, the country’s parliament passed legislation widening restrictions on anything perceived as promoting gay issues or same-sex relationships among Russians, no matter their age. A year later, the international LGBT movement was recognized as extremist and its activities were banned inside Russia.
The popularity of “Heated Rivalry” also brought sports romances into the spotlight. Mulroy said these books were popular with their audiences, but never made the store’s bestselling charts. But with copies of Game Changers sold out during the post-show rush, many readers began turning to other books in the subgenre.
“We saw such a boom in sports romance, because people were just itching to get those same feelings that ‘Heated Rivalry’ gave them,” Mulroy said. “Those are accomplished in other stories, they’re just not televised or spoken about as widely.”
Mulroy, a longtime reader of the genre, said sports romances commonly feature gay relationships, a move that allows some people to see themselves in a space where they wouldn’t otherwise.
Hockey is an especially stereotypically male sport, said Elizabeth Glowacki, an associate teaching professor of communication studies and health sciences at Northeastern University. In real life, there are no openly gay NHL players and out players are still a rarity in other professional leagues. Williams, who portrays Shane Hollander on the show, said he has heard from closeted athletes since the show premiered.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of stigma involved, so I think the concept of having to mask identity resonates,” Glowacki added. “That identity piece is one of the most interesting themes from that series.”
But the boom of this series and subgenre have opened up people to new possibilities.
“Queerness in sports is incredibly stigmatized,” Mulroy said. “What ‘Heated Rivalry’ is showing is that queer stories are important and queer sports stories in particular, where people can’t see themselves.”
Love “Heated Rivalry?” Here are some other LGBTQ+ sports romances that Mulroy recommends fans of the show and the books try next:
Him
By Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Synopsis: “Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp? Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.”
See You at the Finish Line
By Zac Hammett
Synopsis: “George and Lucas can’t stand each other—which makes it very awkward being on the same Cambridge University rowing team. The uber-charming, all-American George got accepted for his sporting prowess, not his grades. Economics whizz and sarcasm expert Lucas, meanwhile, works hard for everything he’s got. As they face rivals within their own squad and cutthroat competitors at Oxford, they find themselves unexpectedly becoming closer. What happens when your worst enemy may just be who you needed all along?”
Cleat Cute
By Meryl Wilsner
Synopsis: “Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.”
Thirty Love
By Tom Vellner
Synopsis: “American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by 30, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He still can’t figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him..”
It’s a Love/Skate Relationship
By Carli J. Corson
Synopsis: “Charlie Porter is a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the hockey rink. Alexa Goldstein’s pairs skating partner was hurt in [a] fight, and with only four months until their next competition, pickings for a replacement are slim. …As the frostiness between them starts to thaw, they begin to wonder if they’ve found a partner for more than just skating.”
