Why Are Women's Sports an Afterthought?

By: Olivia Longabardi, Staff Writer Edited by: Marissa Wrubleski

Right after the USA Men’s Hockey team won gold at the 2026 Milan Olympics, FBI Director Kash Patel jumped in to celebrate with the young men. But he wasn’t the only person to express his congratulations. He then called President Donald Trump, who offered to send the men to the White House and make a guest appearance at the State of the Union Address. 

When offering to invite the men, Trump said, "I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that." If he didn’t, he followed with, "I do believe I probably would be impeached." Not only did the president make a joke diminishing the women’s talent, but the men's team erupted in laughter.

Later, President Trump extended an offer for the women’s team to come to the White House as well, and they politely declined. The joke made may have seemed harmless, but it signified something deeper than that. It signified that women are still seen as an afterthought when it comes to recognition and admiration from a large audience. It seems that just now, the WNBA has been taken seriously. And when situations like this happen, people start to spin narratives pitting female basketball players against each other. 

We see male athletes praise other colleagues across various sports, and the WNBA is now shown on ESPN on a regular basis. ESPN even created “Women’s Sports Sundays” that airs every Sunday evening, replacing Sunday night baseball. So, it is hard to understand why audiences continue to forget women’s sports, including the President of the United States. 

One of the issues seems to lie in pure misogyny. At a time where viewership is up, female athletes are being praised, and women are winning 63.6 percent of the gold medals for the US.

It boils down to the simple point where there is this constant stigma that women’s sports are “boring”, or women are “weak” or "uninteresting". But when women end up taking home over half of the gold medals for this country, I find it hard to believe that is true. 

Women’s sports broke so many records at the Olympics this year. Besides the massive amounts of success, Laila Edwards, a Team USA women’s hockey player, became the first black women to win gold for the team. Over 40 USA women’s athletes received at least one medal, which breaks a Team USA record for the Winter Olympics. 7.7 Million people watched the Women’s Hockey gold medal game. 

So how do we fix this issue of misogyny in women’s sports? There are many different opinions on what we as a society should do, but the most important thing is very simple. Show up to support. Take women seriously. Don’t make women the butt of your joke. Watching one game can make a difference. 

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