"To be a U.S. Olympian is to represent the best that your country has to offer. Even I can feel it, in my most big-hearted moments, particularly after I've watched the figure skating events: Alysa Liu's infectious joy, or Ilia Malinin's humility in heartbreak. America is filled with optimistic people who are great at a lot of different things, they make me believe."
"Heated Rivalry, the TV show that captivated North America with steamy gay hockey-player sex, is only the tip of the iceberg for the whole hockey romance phenomenon, which uses the NHL as inspiration for a fairy-tale world where its players are dreamy lovers with innocent souls. In the universe of Heated Rivalry, you could build a Cup-winning top line out of openly gay active pro hockey players, even though the NHL has never had one."
"These books are very good at accomplishing what they set out to do, but it was a strange contrast to read them as someone whose only prior association with hockey players and sex was horrid stories of misogyny and assault. Hockey culture is rotten, but..."
Olympic competition evokes patriotic sentiment by showcasing athletes who represent the best of their country, inspiring optimism about national character. However, this idealized narrative extends beyond the Games into popular culture, particularly through media portrayals of professional hockey players. Television shows and romance novels have created a romanticized version of hockey culture, depicting players as dreamy, sensitive lovers with depth beneath tough exteriors. This fantasy narrative stands in stark contrast to the documented reality of hockey culture, which has a troubling history of misogyny and sexual assault. The disconnect between the idealized media representation and the actual documented behavior within hockey culture reveals how entertainment media can reshape public perception of athletes and sports communities.
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