The call between Trump and the U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team highlights the gender inequality in athletics
The U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team defeated the Canadians 2-1, an exhilarating game that earned the U.S. a gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Just two days later, the men’s U.S. hockey team also had an exciting match against Canada, and they won the game 2-1 in overtime. The men’s hockey team is the gold medalist for the first time since 1980—a major feat for American hockey. After the men’s game, the team received a call from President Trump, who celebrated their win and invited the group to the State of the Union. During this call, Trump made a sexist comment that he would “have to bring the women’s team,” because if he didn’t, he would “probably be impeached.” Instead of objecting, the video showed multiple members of the men’s hockey team laughing in response. Trump’s call with the US men’s Olympic hockey team is controversial, yet some consider it to be a meaningless joke. However, the truth is that Trump’s call highlights the recurring injustice and sexism present in modern women’s sports.
The phone call quickly became viral and received a lot of media attention. Online, it was heavily criticized and received heavy backlash. Many have said that the players’ affirmative reaction to Trump’s comment felt as though the team was entirely dismissing the women’s victory. There was even a petition made with over 20,000 signatures demanding that the men’s team apologize and not go to the State of the Union address. However, despite backlash, many Americans argued that the call was just a joke taken out of context and magnified “politics.” Indeed, there have been events in the past that were inflated due to political reasons; however, this does not apply to the call or Trump’s actions. There is no denying that Trump made a sexist comment that diminished the women’s victory and mocked them.
Not only did the call receive media attention, but it also attracted a response from the women’s Olympic hockey team and other professional hockey players. Despite being invited to the State of the Union, the women’s team declined the offer and made their stance on the issue clear. Many of the players also responded to the comment, like captain Hilary Knight, the most decorated Olympic women’s hockey player in history. During an interview with ESPN, Knight shared how she felt like Trump’s comment was “overshadowing a lot of success” and how her team is “just [trying] to focus on celebrating the women in the room [and] the[ir] extraordinary efforts”. The women’s win was an incredible achievement. Unfortunately, instead of being celebrated, they were mocked by their own nation’s president. Knight and so many others feel that this is a serious injustice, and they should receive the recognition that they deserve.
The reaction from Trump and the men’s team also disregarded the women’s team’s hard work. Hockey players train for years to get into the professional league, and Olympic athletes have to train over 40 hours a week to even get a chance to compete in the Olympic Games. The women’s team worked incredibly hard to get to where they are and to bring success to their nation. All of their dedication clearly paid off in their victorious game against Canada. However, all of this exertion was suddenly dismissed in one conversation, making it seem as though the women were somehow inferior to the men. The female players were belittled and overlooked instead of being celebrated, a major injustice to not just the team but also to all of female sports. This call with the president is only one example of sexism in professional sports. From the beginning of competitive athletics, women have always been excluded from participating. Even now, high school boys have about 1.3 million more athletic opportunities than girls. Not only this, but unequal treatment and sexism are still apparent in professional women’s leagues. For example, in ice hockey, the average salary of an NHL athlete is around 3.5 million; however, most women in professional hockey leagues need at least one other job just to survive. Though women’s athletics have come a long way, female athletes are still constantly underestimated and ignored. Although Trump’s call is one small example of this issue, it shows that female and male athletes are not treated equally, as we may want to believe.
