I know our site isn’t about hockey, the olympics, or politics, but there’s so much on my mind right now that I need to write to vent.

Over the weekend, our women’s and men’s hockey teams won gold at the Olympics in Milan. Both beat Canada in their respective finals and, for a moment, it felt like a unifying event. Women’s hockey in the United States has been on the rise with the PWHL and this gold medal felt like a moment of significance. Men’s hockey hadn’t claimed a gold medal since Lake Placid (1980). So with both teams beating their respective opponents from the north, it felt good to be an American (for like 10 minutes).

Aside from Kash Patel (the FBI director who looks perpetually shocked) showing up to slam beers with the team in the locker room (gross for a variety of reasons) and the team taking a call from the President (pretty standard fare for an Olympic team), there was a moment that really deflated all the good feeling. Donald Trump, during his call to the men’s team (I couldn’t find any mention of a similar call to the gold medal-winning women’s team, but am welcome to be corrected) he made a joke that seemed well-received by the majority in the room. “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that…I do believe I probably would be impeached [if they aren’t invited].

And there’s the rub.

Congratulations on the win, come visit me at the White House, but be aware I HAVE to invite the women too. Almost like a 9yo pouting about the girls coming to his birthday party.

Imagined Unity

While the President acted exactly how many of us expect him to, it’s the reaction among the players that’s so frustrating. These are men in their 20’s who have grown up in an era of increasing equality. It’s not just that they should know better and not laugh at a sexist comment with cameras all around them, it’s that they laughed at all. It says so much about their view of the women athletes who just 48 hours before had accomplished the same feat that they were being praised for.

Ellen Hughes, former hockey player and mother of Jack Hughes, spoke about the “synergy” between the two squads. “If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about.”

I won’t shame Hughes for being a mom, but I will use her quote to emphasize that the men’s side of the Olympic hockey team’s support of the women’s team is performative at best. How do you hang out with your fellow Olympians for two weeks and go to each other’s matches and when the first chance comes to support and affirm their success, you laugh at the idea that they would also be invited to the White House? Even more, YOU ACCEPT the invitation knowing that the women have modestly and politely declined the reluctant and performative invitation they received? Every photo of that meeting must have been salt in the wounds of the women’s team.

More of the Same

But this isn’t the first, just the most recent, slap in the face of women athletes and our chosen field of coverage, soccer, is not immune to this bullshit. While the United States women’s national team is THE GREATEST national soccer team in modern history, winning 5 Olympic gold medals and 4 World Cup trophies over the last forty years, basically being the best consistent women’s program in the world over that span, the vast majority of soccer fans and sports fans in general remain indifferent.

Women struggle to scratch the surface when it comes to pay, respect, and attention from the national media. I say media, because the women’s team does have a strong base of fans. The media, on the other hand, constantly props up the men’s team, in spite of their continued failure to achieve success. And, of course, let’s not forget the President’s continued disrespect of the team, particularly during the 2019 World Cup run. Social media posts focused primarily on one of the greatest athletes to ever wear the crest, Megan Rapinoe. Seen by Trump and his supporters as too outspoken, too brash, and too lesbian (no doubt), he repeatedly criticized her throughout the tournament. The team paid him back with World Cup trophy and a declined invite to the White House. Success came regardless of support, like always for women in American sports.

You’d think with a CV like that having a domestic pro women’s league would be an obvious result, yet the women’s professional leagues have struggled to gain footing, only recently gaining following and support. But pay is low and doesn’t compare to their male counterparts. Yes, they have the NWSL and USL Super League, but many players are forced to have second jobs or transfer out of the country in the off season to pay the bills.

The disparity in support begins on the youth soccer fields across this nation. The boy’s 4v4 matches are better attended than the 11v11 girls. Make it make sense. And that misogynistic perspective permeates every player, coach, and fan all the way up. Changing the state of play requires a conscious daily decision. It’s not woke, it’s the right thing to do.

As we launch into the amateur soccer season this spring, it's time for women’s teams to get the same level of respect and recognition. It’s time for fans to make an effort to celebrate the success and performances of all players, not just the men. We can’t undo past wrongs or the actions of our disgusting leaders, but we can honor women’s success in sport moving forward and make the future a more equitable place for all athletes.

- Dan Vaughn