Audrey Cedor / The Cougar
If you consume any type of sports media, I can almost guarantee you’ve heard this at least once: “Nobody watches women’s sports.” This is a common, patriarchal attitude that is often directed at female athletes. Despite this, women in the United States have been among the most decorated competitors at the Olympics
In both the Summer and Winter Olympics, U.S. women have outperformed men and received more medals for six consecutive games.
If the United States prides itself on having the best athletes, then the recognition should go to the women who have won multiple championships and medals, because they are driving the country’s success.
Women’s sports are dominating every level
In the most recent Summer Games, whenever anyone mentioned the Olympics, it was easy to automatically think about Simone Biles dominating gymnastics, Katie Ledecky in swimming or Sha’Carri Richardson in track. They all stood at the top of the podium with gold around their necks. The women’s basketball team also won gold, going undefeated since 1992.
This year, women dominated the Winter Olympics, winning 17 medals, including six gold. The big faces of these Games were Alyssa Liu, who won gold in figure skating and the women’s hockey team, which also won gold for the U.S.
Women’s sports are not only dominating at the professional and Olympic level, but also in college athletics. Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have completely changed the landscape of women’s college basketball, drawing record-breaking viewership and selling out arenas across the country.
The 2024 NCAA women’s championship game drew nearly 19 million viewers, surpassing the men’s final for the first time in history. Proving that interest in women’s sports is actively growing.
Success without recognition
Even with these incredible achievements, there was little recognition, as seen in a video of a phone call between the U.S. men’s hockey team and President Donald Trump. During the call, the president invited the men’s team to the White House, then joked that he would “have to” invite the women’s team or face impeachment. The sarcastic comment was met with laughter.
However, this should not have been treated as a joke. The comment undermined the women’s team’s success. It showed a significant lack of appreciation, even though they have medaled consistently since women’s hockey was added to the Olympics. The men’s team hadn’t won since 1980.
This blatant disrespect displayed with women showing up, showing out and proving that the U.S. has some of the best athletes only adds to the notion that women’s efforts will continue to go unnoticed. Much of it is tied to gender bias.
It should not be treated as a joke to watch women’s sports. If women are the ones dominating, then they should be the ones receiving the most credit. All competitive sports are exciting, so there should be more interest and support for women’s sporting events overall.
Women are not only outperforming men in the Olympics; they are also outperforming men in other sports. The women’s national soccer team has won four World Cups while the men’s team has won none. In tennis, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles.
Talent isn’t the issue; perception is
Female athletes have had an incredible cultural impact. From having little to no coverage or professional opportunities to now dominating across multiple titles, they continue to inspire women across the nation and around the world.
Their displays of strength and talent should be celebrated by all. The sexist narrative that no one is watching or caring about women’s sports is false. So many feel the impact and inspiration that female athletes have.
Viewership continues to grow rapidly in women’s sports, and surely their achievements will too. Instead of acting like women’s sports are boring or mean nothing, female athletes should be given far more credit than they currently receive. They continuously defend the claim that the US is the best sporting nation, so they should be continually praised and lifted up. They should not be brought down by sexist ideals.
Opinion@thedailycougar.com
