I’ve seen the video. You’ve probably seen the video too, as much of the United States has by this point. While I do not want to give the U.S. men’s hockey team any more attention than they have already amassed, I think this situation is particularly serious at this very moment, and we need to talk about why.
For those who haven’t seen the team’s locker room celebration after winning gold at the Winter Olympics, let me save you those 20 seconds. The controversy started following the game, as the U.S. men’s team celebrated in the locker room with FBI Director Kash Patel. Patel even called Donald Trump, with whom the team shared a crude laugh at the ridiculousness of sharing a White House visit with the women’s hockey team — the same team that also earned a gold medal for the U.S. in an overtime match against the Canadian team. Same score, same medal, not even close to the same respect. On the unbelievable adrenaline high of winning an Olympic gold medal, the men’s team took the very first opportunity to make themselves feel more significant than the women. Not only is this extremely disappointing, but it has meaningful implications, and it is most certainly that deep.
This problem is bigger than “boys being boys” or just “locker room talk.” Those are inadequate excuses that enable boys and men to be casually sexist, without repercussions. Recently, the sports world seems to have been turning a corner. Women’s leagues have been rapidly expanding, along with fans’ engagement and investment. Maybe this is why the men’s team hysterically laughing at just the idea of sharing the stage with the women felt defeating. A joint celebration was the funniest spectacle to them — It felt like a mockery. With almost identical gold medal victories, gender is left as the only variable that turns the medal from remarkable to unserious. What message does that send to young girls in sports? Imagine a young female athlete watching that video, doubt rising within her about her place in sports; it’s demoralizing, to say the least.
Relevantly, the virality of Heated Rivalry — a queer professional hockey love story (I know you’ve at least heard of it) — has recently centered conversations surrounding the identities and struggles of LGBTQ+ athletes. The overnight sensation brought quick attention to the stigma that queer athletes face in a hypermasculine space like professional sports. Because of the show’s positive reception, new and unfamiliar sports fans might have been under the misconception that hockey would be a sight of positive change.
It is in this cultural context, I believe, that the actions of the U.S. men’s hockey team are especially painful. This was a sharp reminder that hockey, amongst most other sports, is generally not a safe space for marginalized identities. The success of Heated Rivalry was an important step in orienting queerness in sports, but in reality, there is significantly more work to be done. Sports will never be a space that all feel welcomed into as long as ultramasculine norms (i.e., sexism, homophobia) persist.
Beyond the sexism of the men’s hockey team controversy, there’s another problem: pride should not be dependent on putting down others. Instead of celebrating the first dual-gold for the U.S., the men’s team will go to the White House alone, liable for their divisive action. Hierarchy has always been the building block of marginalization, and sports are not immune to this system.
Though for your inner peace, I would like to recommend you laugh off the men’s team’s behavior, just as they laughed off the women’s gold medal. I wish I could suggest it was a light-hearted joke, but that would only further the stigma that women in sports already face. Instead, if you haven’t been reminded recently: Take female athletes seriously; uplift and celebrate their accomplishments. Women work hard for their wins; they do not deserve to be discarded. Victories deserve to be celebrated, but not through belittling others. And yes, sports are political. And yes, it is that deep.
Contact the editors responsible for this story: Finley Tipton and katie McCabe
