NHL's Seattle Kraken's Controversial BookTok Videos Spark Outrage: Find Out Why!
Seattle Kraken, an NHL team, faced backlash from player Alex Wennberg and his wife over their suggestive BookTok videos In response, the team swiftly removed all controversial content, addressing concerns raised by the couple and highlighting their commitment to respectful fandom
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BookTokers can no longer turn to Seattle Kracken’s social media pages for their fill of thirsty content about the pro athletes.
The NHL team recently removed all the steamy videos of its players from its TikTok profile. These videos were inspired by the fandom of romance readers. The decision came after athlete Alex Wennberg and his wife, Felicia Wennberg, criticized the online comments as harassment. Felicia took to her Instagram Story to address the issue, expressing her previous acceptance of playful nicknames for her husband. However, she found certain videos and comments to be crossing the line into predatory and exploitative territory.
The emergence of hockey-focused romance novels, such as "Icebreaker" by Hannah Grace and "Pucked" by Helena Hunting, sparked a trend within TikTok's community of book enthusiasts. Users began comparing their beloved "book boyfriends" to real-life athletes. However, according to Felicia, some influencers have taken their admiration for Alex and his teammates too far. At games, they started chanting "Krack my back," a sexual innuendo referencing "break my back." Felicia finds this behavior problematic, as it involves sexual harassment, inappropriate remarks, and the normalization of behavior that would be considered unacceptable if the genders were reversed. Felicia, who welcomed her son Rio with Alex in September 2021, expressed her concerns regarding this issue.
Alex Wennberg with wife Felicia. Courtesy of Alexander Wennberg/Instagram
Alex later issued his own statement, condemning the "aggressive language" used by social media users to describe him and his teammates. He expressed his dismay at the frequent and ongoing negative comments on their personal social media accounts, emphasizing that this is not the kind of environment they want their child to grow up in. Alex simply requested respect and common sense going forward, stating that while they can tolerate jokes and lighthearted comments, they draw the line when it becomes personal and affects their family. They have reached a breaking point with regards to sexual harassment, harassment of their character, and their relationship.
Specifically, Felicia called out TikToker Kierra Lewis for her comments about Alex, comparing them to sexual harassment. In response, Lewis, aged 27, denied the allegations on Saturday, July 29th, stating that her posts and nickname for Alex, "Mr. Pantydropper," were intended solely as jokes.
Upon seeing her post, I promptly sent her a direct message apologizing and proposed the resolution of removing any videos that mention Alex Wennberg. However, I received no response. To my dismay, I discovered yesterday that the Seattle Kracken had unfollowed me and deleted all their enticing videos. It should be noted that the team had previously given me a personalized jersey and extended invitations to multiple games. Four months prior, Lewis began sharing comical videos expressing her admiration for the Kracken's teammates, often in response to the team's own "BookTok" clips.
