There was a big GQ profile on San Jose Sharks hockey phenom Macklin Celebrini that, at first glance, reads a lot like the sports journalism of yore. We casual fans are introduced to a rising superstar, similar to how Sports Illustrated once contextualized the anticipated greatness of LeBron James in that famous “The Chosen One” cover. But there’s a big difference here.
I’ll be blunt because the profile itself keeps playing coy, floating topics and insinuations that it won’t quite commit to: The article is either promoting the idea that Macklin Celebrini is in a gay relationship with his teammate and housemate Will Smith or merely celebrating the implication. You might assume that I’m making a wild assumption, based on very little, because this would be a crazy direction to take such a piece. You would be wrong. Look at some of these excerpts. Behold the insanity of modern NHL marketing.