There are few Canadian sports icons that could be considered more sacred than the blue and white logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs. So it will undoubtedly come as a shock to some that the NHL and the Maple Leafs organization have allowed the Leafs' logo to be used in a movie about an ex-Maple Leaf who happens to be gay.
by Scott Carefoot
"Breakfast With Scot" aired at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday to mostly positive reviews and will be shown again on Tuesday. It stars Tom Cavanagh as an ex-hockey player who lives with his male partner and adopts an 11-year-old boy. The subject matter on its own is unlikely to cause much of a ripple in these progressive Canadian times. But when you throw the Maple Leafs' logo into the mix, that's sure to raise a few eyebrows.
When the news of the logo approval initially broke in November, Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. said, "On our end, we're certainly not trying to make a statement. We agreed to host them and we're comfortable with it."
Of course, there are those who believe that a very clear statement is being presented with this tacit approval from the NHL ? such as the unironically-named "Americans for Truth" website, which wrote, "As a work of homosexual propaganda, the film is clearly meant to target the last vestiges of resistance to normalized homosexuality among Canadians."
Regardless of the intent of the film-makers, it's impossible to ignore the significance of the fact that the NHL and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment allowed their valuable brand to be associated with this film. To put it in perspective, imagine the response if somebody tried to get the Dallas Cowboys to allow the use of their iconic blue-and-white star in a similarly-themed movie.
If there was going to be a major sports league to make this leap first, it pretty much had to be the one with the most Canadian performers and consumers. Like it or not, this subject continues to be a significant difference in fundamental values between Canadians and Americans.
However you feel about the issue, it's worth noting that there has yet to be a player who is publicly "out" during his NHL career. And if there is a more macho sports environment than the average hockey locker room, good luck finding it. With that in consideration - however you feel about the NHL and it's involvement with this movie - this is a bold move.
"Breakfast With Scot" is scheduled for wide release in November. Have you seen it? Will you see it? Or will you burn your Maple Leafs jersey in protest? You know how to let us know...
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