From Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's rivalry on the ice to their complicated relationship off the rink, "Heated Rivalry" has become an internet phenomenon and a focal point for LGBTQ+ visibility.
"Heated Rivalry" is a Canadian romance show on HBO Max about hockey players and their experience navigating their sexualities in a seemingly unwelcoming environment. The show has earned a stellar 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and has a thriving fanbase on the internet.
"It really just tells this beautiful story about people who are struggling to come to terms with being LGBTQ in such heavily anti-LGBTQ environments," Mariah Champion, a sophomore studying tourism development and management, said. "And I just think that the story of Shane and Ilya and Scott and Kip and all the other characters in this series is just so amazing."
According to a 2024-25 study by GLAAD, a nonprofit organization focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy and cultural change, the LGBTQ+ community has seen a minimal increase of representation in mainstream media.
Many notable series with LGBTQ+ representation, such as "The Owl House," have been forced to end early or canceled entirely, sometimes making the community's portrayal harder to find.
Champion said that "Heated Rivalry" stands out because it is less "coming of age" and more a narrative of what happens when people are "of age".
"What really got people at first was that shock value, they're showing such explicit gay sex on the TV," Champion said. "Then you'll watch the show, and you're like, wait, this is actually a really beautiful love story between two young gay people falling in love."
The show highlights both the pressure of coming out and the pressure of being in a relationship. Its representation of both closeted and out community members has influenced fans to be more comfortable with themselves.
"The show did a really great job at showcasing the difference between people who are accepting their sexuality already, but then also people who are coming to terms with their sexuality still," Champion said.
The show even influenced hockey player Jesse Kortuem to openly discuss his sexual orientation.
Others have some reservations.
"It's a very limited type of queerness that they're investigating," Jason Davids Scott, a professor at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School, said. "I think all types of queer visibility is important."
But Scott believes "Heated Rivalry" also stands out by not falling into common LGBTQ+ stereotypes.
"The representation of male sexuality, whether it's gay or straight, especially athletic young male sexuality, is something that is studied pretty deeply because (Shane and Ilya's) relationship is very hyper masculine," Scott said. "It's also very authentic, and it doesn't play to an easy stereotype of a feminine partner."
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"It's a work of art, honestly," David Torres, a sophomore studying music learning and teaching, said. "It's a genuinely well-thought-out and executed piece of media that I believe we, as queer people, needed in our time of our lives."
LGBTQ+ representation is something that has been gradually becoming more common and more welcomed in mainstream media.
"Everyone deserves sunshine, especially for my fellow queer people who had to stay in the closet in their high school years ... We all deserve to be seen and to be loved and accepted," Torres said.
Edited by Kasturi Tale, Senna James, Emilio Alvarado and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at jhamil33@asu.edu and follow @jhamilton_media on X
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Jen Hamilton is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Political Science. This is their first semester with The State Press.
