The Group Chat: Off Campus, on repeat

ICYMI, a hot new bombshell has entered the hockey smut zeitgeist, proving once again that people love the intersection of romance and sport. Off Campus — the college romcom featuring musician/hockey-hater Hannah and womanizer/hockey player Garrett — has captivated The GIST HQ for weeks.

• The spicy series is like if Heated Rivalry and The Summer I Turned Pretty had a sporty baby…who dismantles problematic sports stereotypes and pop culture tropes. So let’s unpack Off Campus — as long as you’re okay with some spoilers. Deal?

Romance doesn’t need to be toxic to be bingeable. In fact, Off Campus proves that the opposite — relationships based on mutual support, clear communication, and emotional safety — is even more enticing, especially for women.

Let’s talk about sex consent. It’s everywhere in Off Campus — and it’s normal. Consent isn’t used as a purposeful plot point to show that a character is a green flag, nor is it virtue signaling: It’s just the default when the show’s characters are intimate with each other, like Garrett recognizing when Hannah is intoxicated or giving less-than-enthusiastic consent.

• Heck, even Dean Di Laurentis, the show’s resident playboy, explicitly tells Garrett that trust is the most important thing when it comes to a woman’s pleasure. Just like florals for spring, this is groundbreaking.

This is particularly poignant when considering today’s toxic hockey culture. Look no further than last year’s high-profile sexual assault trial and Hockey Canada’s related reckoning. TSN reporter Rick Westhead wrote an entire book highlighting problematic tendencies in the sport.

• And that sexual violence isn’t something Off Campus shies away from either — Hannah works through her own trauma, both on her own and with Garrett’s support. It’s truly refreshing to see a show centered on a men’s sports star take this topic so seriously.

To that point, Hannah isn’t a damsel in distress. She saves herself and pushes the plot forward all series long. In popular romance tropes, women are often expected to sacrifice pieces of themselves for love, changing their personalities, abandoning their ambitions, or abdicating their power.

• Hannah doesn’t do that. She chooses herself — her music, her healing, her peace — and Garrett not only respects that but actively helps her do it. It’s evident throughout the plot that Hannah doesn’t need Garrett to complete her; she loves who she is independent of him.

• And who could forget the grand romantic gesture trope. Off Campus flips that script too, and in the most “Hannah” way possible. Obsessed.

Off Campus reminds us that it shouldn’t be love over everything: It’s love and everything.

Naturally, these healthy relationship dynamics extend to the show’s friendships. The movies and shows that characterized millennial teen years often pitted women against women — think Mean Girls…literally. But Hannah’s friendship with Allie Hayes is defined by unrelenting loyalty and support. Off Campus is girlhood at its absolute best.

• This is true with the secondary and tertiary female characters, too. Take Garrett’s prior love interest Kendall, who doesn’t try to sabotage her ex’s budding romance but invites a lost-looking Hannah to sit with her at a game.

And the men are no different. The core group of four — Garrett, Dean, John Logan, and John Tucker (notably not this John Tucker) — could single-handedly cure the male loneliness epidemic. They talk to each other, express their feelings, and show up for one another in meaningful ways.

• These men are emotionally intelligent with the women they date and one another, whether they’re whipping up the perfect Thanksgiving dinner or holding each other accountable. Breaking “male athlete character” molds like it’s their job.

This is what sporty romcoms should look like: It’s still steamy and enthralling, but it normalizes relationships that respect boundaries, prioritize support, and challenge harmful stereotypes. Off Campus isn’t just one thing. It’s everything.