shorts

Leafs Take the Lead

Professional sports teams are not exactly thought of as gay-friendly environments — consider the fact that no NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB player has ever come out while still an active player.

But that didn’t deter the producers of Breakfast with Scot, director Laurie Lynd’s dramedy about a closeted ex-Toronto Maple Leaf (Tom Cavanagh) and his partner (Ben Shenkman), who adopt a sweet, gay pre-teen named Scot (Noah Bernett). They asked the NHL about using the Leafs’ storied name, logo, etc. and, surprise, were not rebuffed.

“We read the script, and said sure, go ahead and use the Maple Leaf name and logo and image,” says John Lashway, the senior vice-president of communications and community development for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. 

“We recognize that our fans come from all walks of life and have all different forms of lifestyles. We’ve also been very careful here not to stake out any kind of political stance, but in doing that, you also can’t exclude people either.”

There was some initial backlash against the NHL/Leafs from a few organized anti-gay groups in the U.S. However, “that was followed by a smaller group of people, not organized, saying, ‘Hey, way to go, thank you,’” says Lashway.

The V.P. reveals that only “a fraction” of requests to use official Leafs paraphernalia in movies are fulfilled, making Breakfast with Scot an exception. That exception was also granted to the upcoming Mike Myers comedy, The Love Guru, about a self-help guru (Myers) helping a fictional Maple Leafs player (Justin Timberlake) sort out his love life. “Yeah, that’s a very, very Leaf-focused film,” says Lashway. “The Maple Leafs are the supporting stars of the show.”

—Ingrid Randoja

Breakfast with Scot opens in Toronto on November 16th.