Reader, do you know what frotting is? Don’t Google it if you’re on a work computer because the image results might get you in trouble, but Heated Rivalry, HBO Max’s gay hockey romance, revealed to me that a lot of people don’t know what that word means, and it was only when the hockey-playing twinks performed this sexual act on an episode of the show that some people were made aware that there was an actual word for two men rubbing their dicks together that wasn’t some joke like “sword fighting.”
As a gay man who has a lot of straight friends, a not-insignificant part of my longest friendships has been basically acting as a sex ed teacher for men who don’t know what sex looks like when the people involved have the same hardware. Now Heated Rivalry has become such a cultural phenomenon that it’s bridging the gap, especially for those who are mostly interested in the hockey side of it.
Empty Netters is a hockey podcast, and naturally when one of the biggest shows on streaming is about hockey players who also are knocking around sticks of a different kind, the hosts have gotta take advantage of the moment and cover the show. Hearing a group of straight men unpack the logistics of gay sex, such as roles like top, bottom, and versatile, and just being genuinely fascinated and non-judgmental, is easily a best-case scenario from fans of a sport that has its history of homophobia. Shoutout to these guys for the idea of making a custom coin for picking who’s going to do what in a verse couple. And they say imagination is dead.
A big part of Heated Rivalry is watching its leads in a constant, years-long push and pull as their paths infrequently cross due to hockey careers that have them traveling all over. Eventually, however, they end up in the same city, and then they have at it. It’s all presented with so much tension and drama that everyone watching the show, even straight men, are rooting for them to get it together and be more than a secret romance. There’s also a second couple with a similar struggle that gets its own dedicated episode, and seeing them finally reconcile is one of the few moments of unabashed catharsis the show, whose central couple is trapped in a will they/won’t they dynamic, has delivered. And it’s got straight men crying! Me too, brother.
Unfortunately, it’s not all positivity. If you search anywhere long enough, you’ll find homophobia directed at the show, and even on the queer side of things, some fans are questioning whether or not the actors playing the main roles are actually queer themselves. Neither of these things are new for queer media, but you would think after Heartstopper fans essentially dragged one of its stars out of the closet, these people would know better. As for me, I’ll enjoy the show on its own merits without having to interrogate strangers on their personal lives.
Heated Rivalry has been renewed for a second season, but if you want a glimpse into what comes next, the series is based on the Game Changers books by Rachel Reid.