“Heated Rivalry” is capturing the attention of GCSU students and beyond, spotlighting a story of two major-league hockey rivals whose high-stake competition slowly turns into a romantic relationship; the series is currently available to stream on HBO Max. 

The show highlights LGBTQ+ representation in traditionally male-dominated sports and reflects the growing visibility of queer athletes in hockey.

The series originated from a book with the same title, taking place in the “Game Changers” series by author Rachel Reid. 

Anna Holbrook, a freshman psychology and criminal justice major, is an avid book reader and hockey fan. She loves “Heated Rivalry,” after first watching it with her friends over winter break. 

“My favorite part is the stories behind all the characters,” Holbrook said.  

The main characters of the show are Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander. Ilya Rozanov is Russian, drafted No. 1 in 2009, and has a rocky relationship with his brother and his father, whose health declines throughout the series.

Shane Hollander is an Asian Canadian, drafted No. 2 in 2009, and viewed as hockey’s “golden boy.”

The two play on rival teams, leading to frequent competition and interaction. The characters develop a slow burn, on-and-off, situationship over the span of nine years.

Holbrook also said she appreciated the show’s origins in fan fiction.

“The fact that we’re turning more and more fan fictions that are loved by a lot of people into these big stories is really cool,” Holbrook said. 

Josie Harris, a junior public health major, is also a fan of the show. 

“I really love the show. I think one of the things that really drew me to watch it was that it had such positive LGBTQ+ representation,” Harris said.

Often, LGBTQ+ characters lack happy endings, and their character arcs end in tragedy or sadness one way or the other. 

For example, “The 100,” “Yellowjackets,” “Call Me By Your Name” and “Brokeback Mountain” are notable for their tragic endings with their LGBTQ+ characters.  

However, with shows like “Heated Rivalry,” it gives many fans hope for more happy endings. 

One of those fans is Bella Young, a senior English major, who is also a fan of the show. She loves the exposure that “Heated Rivalry” is getting, and she hopes that it opens more doors for other shows with more representation.

“We need more sapphic representation, and we definitely need more queer representation and people of color in a couple.” Young said. “I think it’s [‘Heated Rivalry’] definitely a good start,” 

Additionally, “Heated Rivalry” has had an impact on the sports world. The National Hockey League saw an increase in ticket sales, teams hosted Pride nights and even coming-out stories from athletes. 

“Hockey is known for being a little homophobic.” Holbrook said. “They banned gay tape and the pride flag for a while,”  

Many LQBTQ+ sports fans hope that “Heated Rivalry” changes the environment within sports and the acceptance of their athletes. 

With the popularity of the show, new online trends have emerged. One trend that was popular was where users post a picture of their younger self playing their sport, captioned with something like, “This show would’ve changed my life when I was younger,” or “Little me needed this show.”

Overall, “Heated Rivalry” has had a notable impact on GCSU students and broader audiences. The show highlights the role of LGBTQ+ storylines and representation in media and campus conversations.

“I really hope that this kind of opens the door for other networks to feel more comfortable green-lighting shows that have LGBTQ+ storylines as the forefront,” Harris said.