‘Things Have Not Changed’: What ‘Heated Rivalry’ Gets Right About Men’s Sports
Heated Rivalry, a television series about a secret romance between two professional hockey players, has become a surprise word-of-mouth sensation and prompted athletes such as Zach Sullivan to recall hiding their sexuality before coming out. Few male players currently identify as gay publicly, and none are active in the four major U.S.
men’s leagues, observers say. Bill Kennedy and others described locker-room culture as still apprehensive and largely unchanged. Researchers and advocates contrasted that landscape with women’s sports, where dozens of players are openly gay, and linked the difference to norms of hegemonic masculinity that reward a narrow ideal of male athletic identity.
heated rivalry, television series, zach sullivan, professional hockey players, u.s. men's leagues, bill kennedy, locker room culture, women's sports, hegemonic masculinity