#cassandro

So as we're again between episodes I figured I'd make another list of shows and films that folks might be interested in if they enjoy Heated Rivalry. None of these are quite in the same romance/smut genre...but they all involve a look at queer athletes and often a look into the culture of a sport's pro leagues. Also, I didn't include any films about gay teens in sports because it's a slightly different vibe.

A League of Their Own (2022)

This is the story of the beginning of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II. It is a loose adaptation and expansion of the film from 1992. The series takes a look at how the league was simultaneously liberating for some, while discriminatory and exclusionary for others (specifically Black women). We get to see parallel stories of women's liberation and acceptance of their queerness in separate communities kept apart by racism. There is a great deal of queer joy in the show alongside an exploration of the ways that heteronormativity was enforced both in society and in the league. It's a real shame it only got the one season.

The Pass (2016)

Jason (Russel Tovey) and Ade (Arinze Kene) begin as 19-year-old teammates on a junior soccer team. They are, in their way, rivals...both gunning for a spot on a professional team/club. And then one of them kisses the other. Over the course of the film we cut between a few different periods in their lives, focusing mostly on Jason and we see how that kiss reverberates over the course of Jason's (and Abe's) lives. It's a pretty grim look at the impact of homophobic sports culture and the closet.

Mario (2018)

Leon (Aaron Altaras) and Mario (Max Hubacher) are two football (soccer) players in Germany. Mario's got a father who was his coach and manager as a kid - so a lot of pressure to be the best. Leon transfers to Mario's team after *something* doesn't work out with his old team. Two two are placed in the same apartment and, of course, fall for each other. And of course at some point their relationship is discovered. Leon and Mario are then left trying to navigate the homophobic culture they find themselves in even as they ostensibly have legal protections.

In From the Side (2022)

Warren (Alexander Lincoln) plays for the a team for a gay rugby club. Mark (Alexander King) plays for the b team. They hook up one night - which is a problem since they both have boyfriends. What's refreshing about this film is that no one is in the closet and there is no issue of homophobia in the locker room (they're all gay). The drama instead comes from two places: 1. they are cheating on their boyfriends and 2. their gay rugby league is cash-strapped and fearful of losing legitimacy. Homophobic sports culture is still a real threat - it just exists outside the gay space these players find themselves in.

Cassandro (2023)

This one is a bit different in that it's not about a team sport and it is based on a real person. Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal) is an American and Mexican luchador who begins the film as an unknown. He meets a trainer who convinces him to change his style and embrace his identity. We see how he breaks through barriers but also how his drive to succeed impacts his relationships.