The 2026 Winter Olympics, first and foremost, offered us an opportunity to see some of the world’s top athletes excelling at their sports. Yet increasingly, sporting prowess brings expectations for how athletes conduct themselves outside of the sporting arena as well as during their performances.
One stark example of this happened shortly after the U.S. men’s and women’s ice hockey teams both won Olympic gold. A video showed Donald Trump phoning the men’s team in their locker room to congratulate them on their gold medal and invite them to the White House for a celebration. Then, with clear reluctance, he added, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team.” This was followed by laughter from most present.
Put simply, the comment was sexist—it framed the invitation for the women’s team as a joke, a burden that had to be reluctantly borne, even though the women had also just won Olympic gold. This suggests that there’s a hierarchy to the teams’ achievements, and that the men’s win matters more.
Some commentators have responded online that it was “just a joke,” and therefore, nobody should be offended. Yet I argue that it’s not about offence;…
