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HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, a gay hockey romance TV series based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid, is the breakout hit no one saw coming. With almost no promotion, it quickly became one of the most talked-about streaming TV shows in the U.S. after HBO Max purchased the rights from Canada’s Crave network this November, turning its two costars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, into overnight celebrities. What’s unique about Heated Rivalry is just how fast its popularity has spread, and how devoted its massive fan base is. From the week it debuted to its season finale six episodes later, its viewership grew from 30 million to 324 million streaming minutes, according to the data and research firm Luminate, per The New York Times. The story is about two rival hockey players who fall in love: Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov. It is a slow-burn romance spanning a decade, and includes explicit sexual sceneswhich some attribute to the great success of the series. Writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney has described the show as pure queer joy. Now, those die-hard romance fansmostly women and gay menhave an unlikely new interest: ice hockey. It sets the stage for what looks like the newest audience crossover from entertainment to sports, after Taylor Swift fans found football a few years ago when the singer began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (now her fiancé). Swift is estimated to have generated over $1 billion in publicity and revenue for the NFL, according to a MarketWatch report. The Heated Rivalry effect Turning to ice hockey, ticket reseller SeatGeek says interest in hockey has surged, thanks to Heated Rivalry. And that could translate into increased viewing for the Olympics. The Winter Olympics always cause interest to spike for hockey, and this time demand is already at a fever pitch following the breakout success of Heated Rivalry, Chris Leyden, SeatGeeks director of growth marketing, tells Fast Company. After the shows first episodes aired, we saw weekly hockey ticket sales on SeatGeek jump more than 20%, with revenue up over 30%, Leyden adds. Its certainly great for the NHL that hockey is top of mind for the broader American public for such an extended period. Building on that momentum, less than two weeks ago, Heated Rivalry costars Williams and Storrie carried the Olympic torch in Feltre, Italy, in the run-up to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, wearing matching Olympic tracksuits as they made their way through the crowded streets on the 49th leg of the torch relay. (The Games begin Friday, February 6, broadcasting on NBC and streaming on Peacock.) Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) tells Fast Company there is “strong anticipation for the Olympic ice hockey tournaments, particularly with the return of NHL players,” adding that ice hockey “is traditionally among the most popular and followed sports at the Olympic Winter Games. And in Bostonwhere Heated Rivalry‘s Russian character Ilya Rozanov plays for the fictional Boston Raiders teamsome fans are getting ready to watch the Olympics. “I read the books, watched the series, and went from Heated Rivalry to actually learning about ice hockey, and watching YouTube videos about the history of the game,” Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, a science journalism fellow at MIT, tells Fast Company. I looked at the schedule and the teams for the Olympics hockey . . . I will watch them, especially womens hockey,” he says, adding that “I think in general, a lot of womens sports are under appreciated.”
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The Olympics are best known as a moment for the worlds most elite athletes to demonstrate their physical prowess on the world stage. But, for a handful of apparel brands, the Games are also one of the most coveted advertising moments of the year. This year, teams at the Milan Cortina Games will be outfitted in plenty of the usual activewear suspects, including Adidas, Nike, and Asics. Team USA will once again appear in preppy, ultra-Americana-inspired looks designed by Ralph Lauren, which has exclusively partnered with the team since 2008. The terms of this deal are unclear, but its likely an intensely expensive (and lucrative) undertaking for Ralph Lauren that would be financially inaccessible to smaller brands. The result is that Team USAs Olympic garb has looked safe at best and stale at worst for the past several years (recall the widely panned skinny jeans and blazer combo worn in 2021). But while big brands remain the most visible apparel players at the Olympics, some of this years most stand-out garments come from smaller designers. Here are three of the collaborations to look out for: Team Mongolia x Goyol Cashmere Before the Games have even begun, theres already a clear fan favorite for the best-dressed team. Team Mongolias ceremonial outfits have taken off on X, where commenters are praising the garments for their couture quality; while the uniforms official announcement post has accrued more than 100,000 likes. Mongolian athletes will be sporting garments made by the brand Goyol Cashmere, which has produced both a line of casual ski sweaters and a stunning collection of ceremonial uniforms. The sweater line pulls inspiration from Western aprs-ski aesthetics, mixed with references to the Mongolian nomadic life, including imagery of a ger (one-man tent), sheep pens, and a horse. [Photo: Goyol/Mongolian Olympic Comittee] The ceremonial uniforms are Goyols take on the Mongolian deel, which is a traditional robe-like garment. A navy color palette makes up the base of the uniforms, accented by pops of light blue, gold, and red. In an email to Fast Company, the Goyol team said that the uniforms are inspired by the Great Mongol Empire of the 13th through 15th centuries, one of the most powerful periods of our nations history. [Photo: Goyol/Team Mongolia] Traditional elements woven throughout the uniforms include a functional skirt slit for ease of movement, a raised collar to protect against the wind and cold, silk trimmings embroidered with horn motifs, and a fully closed overlapping front, which represents “warmth, unity, and protection.” [Photo: Goyol/Team Mongolia] This is Goyol’s first time outfitting the Olympic team, and, according to the designers, “It has truly been incredible to see the outpouring of positive feedback online.” They added, “Our team is deeply honored and grateful for the trust placed in us by the National Olympic Committee. We believe this marks a defining momentnot only for our country, but for Mongolias fashion industry and the recognition of our prestigious cashmere on a global stage.” Team Haiti x Stella Jean At this year’s Games, Team Haiti’s two skiers will be the only athletes to take to the slopes in fully hand-painted uniforms. The outfits were created by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean. They feature an eye-catching jewel-toned design, painstakingly brushed over ski pants, boots, jackets, and even a puffer skirt. In an interview with the AP, Jean said that the designwhich centers a galloping red horsewas inspired by the 2006 painting Toussaint Louverture by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. [Photo: courtesy Stella Jean/Team Haiti] Duval-Carrié’s painting depicts Louverture, a formerly enslaved man who successfully led the Haitian independence movement against French imperialists and established the first Black republic in 1806, riding atop the red steed. Jean told the AP that her uniform designs initially included Louverture, but she was told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the image broke Olympic rules barring political symbolism. [Photo: courtesy Stella Jean/Team Haiti] In order to preserve her work, she painted over Louverture for the final garments. Rules are rules and must be respected, and that is what we have done, Jean told the publication. But for us, it is important that this horse, his horse, the generals horse, remains. For us, it remains the symbol of Haitis presence at the Olympics. In an Instagram caption revealing the designs, she added, “What you see is not decoration.It is visibility as a form of survival.” Team Great Britain x Tom Daley Anyone who watched the Paris 2024 Olympics will recall that the best garment from those Games was former platform diver Tom Daleys hand-knitted sweater. [Photo: Tom Daley/Team Great Britain] Over the past several years, Daley has parlayed his knitting hobby into a side gig as a kind of knitting influencer, sharing images of creations like a sweater for a greyhound and video tutorials on new patterns. At the Paris Olympics, he was seen knitting multiple different garments, including a custom blue-and-red sweater featuring an image of the Eiffel Tower. [Photo: Tom Daley/Team Great Britain] This year, Daleys work will be worn as official Olympic garments by the flagbearers for his home team of Great Britain. Daley collaborated with the British clothing brand Ben Sherman (which is also creating Great Britain’s opening and closing ceremony looks) on a series of knitwear inspired by his countrys flag. The chunky scarves, hats, and snoods have the same charming quality as Daleys poolside projects that previously captured the hearts of viewers worldwide.
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E-Commerce
Move over, figure skating and ice hockey: Theres a new Olympic sport taking to the slopes of Italy. Ski mountaineering, or skimo, is the first entirely new sport at the Winter Olympics since 2002. As its name suggests, skimo combines elements of skiing and mountaineering, requiring competitors to climb up a mountain slope before heading back down. Its a more rugged take on the winter sport genre, and it involves rougher terrain than a cross-country or alpine ski course, calls for athletes to change their own gear mid-race, and balances both technical skill and endurance. A total of 36 athletes will be competing in this years skimo events. That includes the two Americans representing Team USA, Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith, who narrowly qualified for the event back in December. Heres everything you need to know about skimo before it becomes your next Olympic obsession. Where does skimo come from? According to an article on the official Team USA website, skimo traces all the way back to prehistoric times, when humans traversed Europe’s snow-covered landscapes on foot. In the modern era, the first official record of the sport comes from 1897, when the German geologist Wilhelm Paulcke crossed Switzerlands Bernese Oberland mountain range on a pair of skis. The sport held its first world championship in 2002, enjoying the most popularity in Europe’s wintery climes. Per the article, Italy has become a hotbed for skimo, with the sports popularity booming over the past decade: In 201011, there were 33,000 participants in the country, compared with more than 94,000 today. This expansion makes skimos debut at the Milan Cortina Games especially fitting. The races are being held in the town of Bormio. How does it work? Skimo can best be broken down into two component segments: the ascent and descent. Competitors start with the ascent. During some portions of the climb, marked by green flags, they must proceed with their skis on. Special rubber membranes, called skins, are attached to the bottom of each ski to prevent backward sliding. One explainer video published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) describes these skins as akin to a sticky carpet. When the courses flags turn yellow, athletes have to affix their skis to their backpacks and proceed on foot (this is called bootpacking). If a competitor follows these flag cues incorrectlyeven because of a gear malfunctionpoints will be deducted. Once the athletes reach the top of the slope, red flags mark their descent. Here, they remove the skins from their skis, fasten on a helmet, and shoot down a cross-country style course. Unlike many other Olympic events, a large portion of success during skimo rests on athletes ability to quickly change their own gear. The faster we switch gear, the quicker we can move through the race, the IOC video explains. What are the events? Skimo at the Olympics will involve three different events: mens sprint, womens sprint, and mixed relay. Each sprint event consists of just one ascent and descent, with races lasting less than three minutes on average. The mixed relay is a longer, more endurance-based event, comprising two ascents and two descents. Teams of one male and one female take turns navigating the course, and the first athlete to cross the finish line clinches gold for their team.
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