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Debuting on Friday, November 28th, the TV show ‘Heated Rivalry’ took the world by storm, but it’s not just the success of the TV show and the viewing numbers that have made this debut special.
There have been incredible flow-on effects from the success of ‘Heated Rivalry’, including the original book series authors’ access to medical care, real-life hockey players coming out as queer themselves after watching the show, and the inclusion of the actors in the Olympic torch relay.
The viewing numbers definitely are still impressive, as during its debut week, ‘Heated Rivalry’ reached approximately 30 million streaming minutes, and by the release of the final episode on December 26th, the show’s streaming minutes had increased more than tenfold to reach approximately 324 million minutes and counting.
Adapted from the ‘Game Changers’ book series by author Rachel Reid, the show follows two queer closeted hockey players in an enemies-to-lovers romance.
The show is, in a way, groundbreaking as it shows the raw grief and joy and every other complicated emotion that comes with being a queer closeted person, especially a queer closeted professional athlete.
But where the show has really shone has been in areas such as Rachel Reid, the author of the original book series, being able to access medical care for her Parkinson’s diagnosis due to the success of the show.
In an interview with Variety magazine, she spoke about the effects her Parkinson’s has had on her ability to write more books in the Game Changers series and more books in general.
“[It’s] hard to write because I can barely control a mouse. I can’t type for very long. It’s hard for me to sit in a chair for very long. I need to figure out new ways to write.” She said.
“One of the top Parkinson’s experts in the world reached out to me and asked if he could help me. I’ve never gotten to talk to a Parkinson’s expert. I’ve been on a five-year waiting list.”
“Now…I have an appointment in a couple weeks. That could change things for me.”
While every person should be able to access medical care, it is life-changing for this author to now be able to receive the care she needs and not be stuck on a waiting list while she continues to feel the effects of her illness alone and without medical care or symptom management.
Not as impressive, but still important in the effect of this show on the world, has been the effect on the world of professional athletics.
Hudson Williams, when interviewed by ‘THEM’ magazine, revealed that he has received multiple messages from queer professional athletes who haven’t come out yet.
On Andy Cohen Live, he also said that these messages have ranged from professional hockey players to professional baseball and football players and while many of the players reaching out have done so anonymously, some have reached out via their professional social media accounts.
“Sometimes they’re just reaching out through Instagram, and those are the ones that really kind of hit you,” he said.
In September of 2024, ‘OUT Sports’ reported that none of the 4592 rostered players in the “big five” US pro men’s sports are publicly out, while some UK players are out.
UK pro hockey player Zach Sullivan came out as Bisexual six years ago and commented that the show “feels like parts of my life are being played in front of me on the big screen.”
“I love this show for what it brings to the LGBTQ+ community. I love that the LGBTQ+ community has a TV romance with all of the nuances and complications that come along with that, whilst trying to capture the lengths that ‘closeted’ athletes go to keep their sexuality a secret.” He wrote on his Instagram.
“At the same time, I hate this show for the personal trauma that I have relived through every second of watching it.”
Further into the world of athletics, a real-life hockey player Jesse Kortuem came out as gay after watching the show and credited it to his coming out.
In his Facebook post, he wrote:
“I am a private person. Those who know me best know that I don’t share much, if anything, publicly on social media, but lately, something has sparked in me (ok – yes, credit to #HeatedRivalry). I realised it is finally time to share a journey I have kept close to the vest for a long time.”
“For many hockey players, the sound of skates carving fresh ice is just a normal part of warm-ups before a game or practice. But for me, it is the sound of a place where I felt I had to hide,” he admitted.
“As a young teenager, I carried the weight that I did not seem to fit into that world, and I lived in a constant state of dichotomy…How could I be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport?”
Kortuem revealed that he quit hockey as a teen because of this internal struggle but returned to it later in life to play in several leagues.
“Like many closeted athletes, revealing who I truly was to my team would change everything in an instant…so I never took the chance.”
“On the outside, I was still a top-tier player. On the inside, I was still that kid in Minnesota hiding.”
After his post to Facebook where he came out, Kortuem was interviewed by ‘OUT’ magazine.
“I know many closeted gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard by Heated Rivalry’s success. Never in my life did I think that something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport.”
“I took the steps to finally tell my hockey journey and my story.” He said.
“I’m beyond grateful for all the positive comments I’ve received from my past teammates.”
This support of queer athletes is also demonstrated by the 2026 Winter Olympics hosts, who, after the success of ‘Heated Rivalry’, invited lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to be official torchbearers and to carry the Olympic flame in Milan on the 26th of January.
HBO Max, which streams ‘Heated Rivalry’, released a statement in advance of the relay saying:
“They brought the heat. Now they are carrying the torch.”
They were described by the Milano Cortina news as lighting up the ceremony with “pure joy”.
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