Jacob Tierney’s adaptation of Rachel Reid’s book “Heated Rivalry” has offered a safe space for athletes of any level who are hiding parts of their identity to feel seen.
Professional sports teams, especially the NHL, have advertised the show during games or on their social media and have even had instances of their own players coming out because of this new idea of acceptance.
Retired Australian National Basketball League player Andrew Ogilvy has represented that extreme as he came out during a live interview with Adelaide 36er’s star Isaac Humphries.
“There’s now a place for us to have this conversation, to be able to talk as openly as this,” Ogilvy said, asked about his decision to come out.
At some point, the authenticity of these promotions and genuine acceptance of LGBTQ+ athletes got lost in the popularity of the show and the appeal it had towards fans who were attending these major league sports games that bolstered the actors on posters or played scenes and music from the show on their jumbotrons.
The Washington Capitals played music from the show’s soundtrack after a win, while covering their sticks in rainbow tape as a pride celebration. It is no secret that the NHL is not filled with the most accepting community members.
Multiple teams in the past have opted out of wearing pride jerseys because of player’s personal beliefs, and as of 2026 there are still no openly gay active or retired NHL players.
A particularly monumental moment was in Florida in 2023 when brothers Eric and Marc Staal refused to wear the warm up uniforms that featured pride jerseys which exempted them from the pregame skate, citing religious beliefs as well.
At what point is the league advertising the show and its characters performatively, without any real support in the background, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before another player has an opinion like the Staal brothers’ that is strong enough to prevent them from participating in part of the game because of the correlation.
There is some good coming out of the publicity. For example, the Ottawa Senators have started selling jerseys in their proshops and stadiums with the main characters’ names, Hollander and Rozanov, on the backs. Though this is simply unique merchandise for fans of the show, especially since an Ottawa team was mentioned in the fictional league of “Heated Rivalry” in the season finale of the show, the net proceeds are being donated to Ottawa Pride Hockey, an inclusive LGBTQ+ recreational hockey league.
After the initial drop of the merchandise, the jerseys sold out in minutes.
Leading actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were named torchbearers, and helped lead the Olympic flame’s journey towards Milan, Italy. This could have been a genuine tie between the Olympic games and acceptance that is hugely promoted in the ice hockey element of the show, or a publicity stunt to get clicks and views for an early ceremony that does not historically get as much publicity as the opening ceremonies and competitions that will follow in Feb.
