The Scoreboard may be Neutral, but the Spotlight is Not
Throughout my childhood, I would sit in front of the television, hoping to catch a glimpse of my mother in Olympic gear, representing Team Canada. She rowed nationally for Canada and attended four Olympic Games as part of the rowing medical support staff. Because of her, I have never questioned whether women belong in sport. I grew up watching a woman proudly wear the Canadian maple leaf.
Unfortunately, not every girl across North America grows up with that certainty, and the events of this past week are a reminder that women and men’s victories are not equally respected.
The Incident
On Thursday, February 19th, the United States Women’s Team defeated Team Canada in the Olympic gold medal game, winning 2-1. Three days later, on Sunday, February 22nd, the US Men’s team repeated the same result.
This moment, which should have championed athletic accomplishment from both female and male athletes, was overshadowed when a video of the US men’s locker celebration surfaced. In the video, US President Donald Trump is heard on speaker congratulating the men’s team, inviting them to the White House and stating, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team […] You do know that. I do believe I’d probably would be impeached [if the women’s team wasn’t invited].” This comment was met with laughter from those in the locker room.
This video captures a small moment, yet one that is very telling.
At these Winter Olympics, the US team broke a national record by winning twelve gold medals, eight of which were won by women. Additionally, Laila Edwards became the first American black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in hockey. These are noteworthy achievements, yet the narrative has now shifted.
This Incident Moves Beyond Sport
While sports market themselves as result-focused entertainment, they are so much more. Sports reflect life; they emulate the good and the ugly. The reality is that our social system and its valuation of athletes' identities shape the outcome of a game long before the puck is dropped.
We see that athletes’ gender impacts media coverage, funding and attention. Studies suggest that prominent broadcasters in the US and Europe dedicate only 5-10% of their everyday programming to women’s sports. Regarding annual funding, women receive $179 million less than their male counterparts in scholarship opportunities, and Forbes 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes lists zero women for the second year in a row.
The scoreboard may be neutral, but the spotlight is not.
Moments, such as this video, establish cultural precedent. It may seem trivial or minimal, but moments like this build and build. These moments center male sports, and they reinforce gender hierarchy, not through exclusion but in tone, framing and laughter.
The message was subtle but unmistakable. The men were celebrated. The women were
accommodated.
Final Thoughts
Even as a proud Canadian, I cannot deny that American women had extraordinary and historic performances at these Olympics. Unfortunately, a fleeting viral moment managed to recenter the narrative elsewhere.
I was fortunate to grow up watching my mother represent our country. Many girls never see someone who looks like them occupy that space. Representation shapes belief.
If sport reflects life, it must also model something better, celebrate excellence without conditions and embody the Olympic spirit. Celebration, at no moment, requires diminishing someone else’s victory.
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