Alex Wennberg BookTok controversy prompts Kraken to take drastic measure with TikTok content

The Seattle Kraken, a professional hockey team, recently took action to remove BookTok-related content from their social media platforms due to a controversy involving forward Alex Wennberg and his wife, Felicia.

BookTok is a popular hashtag on TikTok used by content creators to discuss, review, or promote books, including hockey romance novels that may involve real NHL players as fictional characters. However, the trend took a troubling turn when some fans began crossing boundaries by engaging in sexual harassment and objectification of NHL players.

Felicia Wennberg, Alex Wennberg's wife, took to Instagram to express her concerns about the inappropriate videos and comments made about her husband. She highlighted that the behavior had become predatory and exploitative, and she criticized the double standards where such actions would not be tolerated if the genders were reversed.

Alex Wennberg also addressed the issue, speaking out against the vile comments directed towards his wife and even their 2-year-old son. He urged for more respect and common sense moving forward and denounced the sexual harassment and harassment of their character and relationship.

The Seattle Kraken's social media team had previously embraced the interest from the hockey BookTok community, featuring players like Alex Wennberg in slow-motion videos targeted towards that audience. However, the situation escalated to the point where the Kraken decided to archive any media that referenced BookTok, removing images and videos from their public social media feeds.

The Wennberg controversy has affected the hockey romance literary community, including authors like Emily Rath. While most hockey romance readers are passionate about the sport and enjoy fictional stories, Rath highlighted a problematic subset (approximately 1%) that blurs the lines between reality and fiction.

This subset engages in sexually fantasizing about real-life players in inappropriate ways on platforms like TikTok, causing concerns within the community.

A Look at the Alex Wennberg Incident and BookTok Content Removal

Rath expressed concern for Alex Wennberg and reached out to the Kraken, requesting them to stop content that objectified him. She emphasized that athletes, like anyone else, deserve to have their boundaries respected and should not be subjected to objectification.

The NHL teams, including the Kraken, miscalculated their approach to serving the BookTok audience. While teams tried to engage with this community, it became evident that they should not treat their players as fictional characters or objects of fantasy.

Rath criticized the Kraken for publishing another Wennberg video that referenced her complaint, viewing it as an act of defiance and insensitivity towards her concerns and the discomfort felt by readers.

As the Kraken's playoff run ended, they significantly scaled back their BookTok-related content in response to the Wennbergs' strong pushback. The removal of BookTok content across their social media platforms indicates a recognition of the need to address the issue of objectification and harassment of NHL players.