Role Model
51 pages • 1-hour read
Rachel ReidRole Model
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Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual violence, rape, bullying, antigay bias, gender discrimination, and cursing.
Social and Cultural Context: The #MeToo Movement and Accountability in Professional Sports
Rachel Reid’s novel engages directly with the cultural reckoning of the #MeToo movement, which gained global prominence in 2017 for exposing widespread sexual abuse and challenging institutional power structures. The plot of Role Model is catalyzed by anonymous online accusations of rape against star hockey player Dallas Kent, mirroring how social media has become a critical platform for survivors to share their stories outside of the traditional legal systems that often fail them. The novel’s depiction of the Toronto Guardians organization, which rallies to protect its star player and discredit his accusers, reflects real-world controversies in professional sports. For instance, a 2021 investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks revealed that team executives covered up a player’s sexual-assault allegations against a video coach during their 2010 Stanley Cup run, prioritizing team success over player safety. A particularly infamous example is the case of Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics national team doctor, who “was found guilty of sexually abusing at least 250 girls and young women over the course of three decades” (Ganesan, Sudharsan. “6 Reasons Why Abusers Like Larry Nassar Avoid Detection.” National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2 May 2019). The investigation revealed that “individuals within the Olympics Committee, USA Gymnastics, and even the [Michigan State University] administration were aware of the abuse” but covered it up rather than bringing Nassar to justice (Ganesan). This institutional protectionism is mirrored in the novel when Troy’s former teammates call Dallas’s accusers “attention whores” and management trades Troy for speaking out. By framing the central conflict around institutional accountability, the novel explores the immense pressure that athletes face to maintain silence and the professional and personal costs of breaking that silence. Troy’s journey highlights the difficulty of confronting abuse within a system designed to protect its most valuable assets, a theme central to the ongoing conversations sparked by #MeToo.
Social and Cultural Context: Antigay Bias and Shifting Attitudes in Men’s Professional Hockey
Troy’s profound fear of being outed is rooted in the historically hypermasculine and antigay culture of men’s professional ice hockey. For decades, the sport’s locker rooms have often fostered an environment where antigay language and attitudes were common, making it exceptionally difficult for LGBTQ+ athletes to be open about their identities. Troy’s shock at seeing Harris openly wearing Pride symbols underscores this reality. He notes that “[m]andatory official Pride Nights aside, he ha[s] never seen anyone blatantly displaying rainbow symbols in a locker room before” (11). Annual Pride Nights raise funding for LGBTQ+ organizations through the sale of “specialty Pride jerseys or exclusive merchandise, and many NHL Players use[] Pride Tape to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community” (“NHL, NHLPA Unite in Celebration of LGBTQ+ Community Ahead of Pride Month.” National Hockey League, 30 May 2024). Reid draws from this tradition when Troy’s entire team decides to use rainbow tape on their sticks to stand in solidarity with their newly out player during the resolution.
Troy’s deep-seated fear at the start of the novel reflects a tangible real-world barrier. It wasn’t until 2021 that Luke Prokop became the first player under an NHL contract to come out as gay, an act widely praised for its courage. The novel contrasts the toxic environment that Troy experienced in Toronto with the progressive culture of the Ottawa Centaurs. This fictional team embodies the goals of real-world advocacy groups like the You Can Play Project, which was co-founded in 2012 to promote safety and inclusion for LGBTQ+ athletes in sports. The supportive atmosphere in Ottawa, where an out employee like Harris is a beloved part of the team, represents an idealized version of the cultural shift that activists and allies are working toward in professional sports, allowing the narrative to explore Troy’s personal journey toward self-acceptance rather than a battle for it.
Series Context: The World of the Game Changers Series
Role Model is the fifth novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, which is set in a fictional version of the NHL. A key characteristic of the series is its shared universe, where characters and relationships from previous books reappear and continue to develop. The primary setting for much of the series, including Role Model, is the Ottawa Centaurs, a team that was established in Game Changer (2018) as having an exceptionally progressive and accepting locker-room culture. This established foundation is crucial, as it allows the narrative to immediately place Troy in an environment that contrasts sharply with his past experiences. Like Troy, Scott Hunter, the protagonist of the first book, is a gay NHL player who wrestles with the division between his private and public identities and learns to redefine masculinity for himself. Just as Harris helps Troy grow in self-acceptance and authenticity, Scott’s relationship with a barista named Kip Grady inspires him to publicly come out during Game Changer’s happy ending.
Readers familiar with the series will recognize recurring characters who play significant roles in Troy’s story. The Centaurs’ captain, Ilya Rozanov, acts as a mentor figure to Troy. His secret relationship with rival Shane Hollander is the central focus of the series’ second installment, Heated Rivalry (2019). The third book, Tough Guy (2020), tells the second-chance love story of Ryan Price, one of Troy’s former teammates, and Fabian Salah, an aspiring singer. The couple contributes to Troy’s growth in Role Model, and Fabian’s concert offers him an opportunity to go on a public date with Harris in an affirming environment and to reconcile with Ryan, whom he bullied during their time playing for Toronto. Common Goal (2020) follows veteran goaltender Eric Bennett and young bartender Kyle Swift. The couple and the gay bar where Kyle works, the Kingfisher, are important sources of acceptance for Troy as he learns to embrace his sexuality. By setting the story within this established world, Reid can bypass the need to build a supportive team from scratch, instead using the pre-existing inclusive environment to challenge Troy’s worldview and facilitate his personal and emotional growth.
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