Philip Sinner on the series Heated Rivalry and the importance of media visibility and representation

Although the Canadian series Heated Rivalry did not premiere in Germany on HBO max until February 6, 2026, it had already been the talk of the town for weeks. It is nearly impossible to avoid content related to it in the media, especially on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. And it is not just paid ads and trailers, but countless reaction videos from media organizations and influencers, clips from episodes already aired in Canada and the US, memes from fans, recordings of the main actors’ appearances on talk shows and other programs, behind-the-scenes material from the film studio, and much more.

ZeMKI member Dr. Philip Sinner spoke with journalist Leon Hütter about this hype, the importance of media visibility and representation, and much more for BremenNEXT’s live radio show. A summary is also available in the Instagram story.

What is it about? Heated Rivalry (spoiler alert) is a romantic sports series with only six episodes so far. It is based on a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid and was produced by Bell Media. Jacob Tierney was responsible for the screenplay and direction. The first season was released in November and December 2025 on the streaming services Crave and HBO max in Canada and the US, but also reached global audiences. In short, the episodes, which cover a period of several years, deal with the secret love affair between Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), who play for two rival ice hockey teams in the fictional Major League Hockey (MLH) and are among the league’s top performers. The series is modelled on the National Hockey League (NHL), and the teams from Montreal and Boston are obvious references. But why does a queer love story reach and inspire a global audience, far beyond the gay community that is the subject of the plot?

There are many reasons. First of all, the series impresses with its enormous production quality and authenticity. Although the budget was very small compared to other productions, it is obvious how much enthusiasm and commitment the small team invested at all levels. This culminates in the relationship between the two main actors, who inspire everyone at every promotional appearance, no matter how small, and leave no doubt that the chemistry between them is real and not just acting. In times of extreme commercialization, this is very appealing to viewers. In addition, the series manages to strike a balance between depicting an intense love affair in an authentic, profound, and sensitive way on the one hand, and using very explicit sex scenes on the other, which are otherwise more commonly seen in heterosexual contexts. If the interviews are to be believed, this approach was preceded by intensive discussions between the director and the author of the novel on which the series is based. As a result, Heated Rivalry decides from the outset to show all the sex in a very courageous manner. And it should not be forgotten that gay love is not only attractive to queer viewers, but also appeals to many (heterosexual) women, as various studies show.

But Heated Rivalry goes far beyond that. For years, ice hockey-based love stories (heterosexual and queer) have enjoyed great popularity. The film adaptation now continues this trend. And with ice hockey, the choice of the staged sport could hardly have been more prominent. While ice hockey in Germany is often only widely watched during world championships or the Winter Olympics, as is currently the case in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the sport is one of the big four in North America, alongside football, basketball, and baseball. This position is comparable to that of soccer in Germany and Europe. All five sports have in common that they are extremely physical and represent hegemonic masculinity. As a result, there is a striking lack of queer role models in this field, especially at the highest levels of competition. Heated Rivalry counteracts this mismatch, in the NHL, same as in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga in soccer, for example, there is not a single openly gay male player (the situation is different in women’s sports). However, for ice hockey in the US, this has changed in recent days: Jesse Kortuem, an amateur player from Minnesota, has come out and explicitly referred to the importance of the Heated Rivalry series in his decision-making.

However, the functional principle is also evident in the context of everyday media usage: A long-term study conducted by Ingrid Paus-Hasebrink at the University of Salzburg on media socialization of socially disadvantaged adolescents, in which Philip Sinner was involved for many years, has impressively demonstrated the meaning of representation in fictional media and how important media role models are for children and young people. This applies all the more so when key role models are lacking in one’s personal environment. For example, a young girl who grew up without her biological father looked up to Hermann Maier, a very successful Austrian ski racer who distinguished himself through his social commitment after his active career. She explicitly described him as a role model, saying that she would have liked to have had a positive male figure as a father figure like him. In this light queer role models can also be seen in the media, in sports, as well as in fictional series and films: They show young people that this is something completely normal and that there is no need to hide. In this respect, the series Heated Rivalry is groundbreaking, as it features two gay characters in the leading roles who perform in one of the most masculine sports and are extremely popular in their teams. Heated Rivalry shows that even in such a context, it is possible to be homosexual. 

The social influence of such fictional series, but also of visibility in real sports, should not be underestimated. This is also underlined by examples such as Tom Daley in diving, Joshua Cavallo (first in Australia, now in the United Kingdom) and Jakub Jankto (Czech national player for Sparta Prague) in soccer, or freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy.

What else can be said? Those responsible planned and implemented an extremely good social media play. The authenticity of the series was successfully translated into an accompanying campaign. The various measures were well orchestrated and ranged from a strong presence in many different and also small outlets, such as morning shows, talk shows, interviews, and guest appearances, to an extremely large amount of additional content that was regularly published for all new episodes and took viewers into the world of ice hockey. Another factor contributing to the success was that, in the context of competitive sports, and here especially in ice hockey, which has masculine connotations, healthy masculinity was shown instead of toxic content.

And what does this mean beyond the success of the series?

The series is being extended and there will be more seasons, with season 2 possibly coming as early as next year. At a time when many queer roles are disappearing from film and television and queerphobia is once again on the rise, especially in the US, this is a remarkable success. There are also plans for spin-offs, such as a lesbian-oriented softball series. Another key aspect is that the series deals with gay sex in such an unbiased way, showing it openly, both heated and tender and intimate. It shows something normal, nothing to hide or be ashamed of. This is invaluable, especially for adolescents, because representation promotes acceptance and provides needed role models. And a look at Italy shows once again how closely the fictional world is linked to the real world: ice hockey is a winter sport that is a traditional part of the Winter Olympics. The Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee invited Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to participate in the Olympic torch relay, and both took part together. They were immediately recognized on the streets and greeted with cheers – this was also noticed on social media, spread rapidly, integrated into the discourse, and, of course, picked up for the marketing of the series.