Sexism and misogyny remain deeply ingrained in sports, creating barriers for female athletes through unequal opportunities, limited recognition and cultural attitudes that continue to prioritize male athletics. It can be seen through harassment, unequal pay, limited media coverage and many other issues. Although female athletes have been fighting for equal representation for a long time, misogyny is systematically rooted in sports, which you can see just from calling men’s sports “sports,” such as the NBA, while for women, it has to be WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). This small difference in name carries a lot of weight and can teach young athletes that men will always be first. However, women are “other,” they do not get to just be normal.
Misogyny in sports has been glaringly obvious at the Winter Olympics. One instance is in a sport called Nordic Combined. Nordic Combined is a grueling competition combining cross-country skiing and ski jumping, and it has been an Olympic sport since 1924. It is the only sport in the Olympics that does not allow women to compete. Even though there is a World Cup and other championships for women in Nordic Combined, they are still not allowed in the Olympics.
The Olympic Committee claims there is low viewership and a lack of participation across countries, but the fact that Nordic Combined is not in the Olympics holds back the women’s potential.
“In 2020, when I was at the top of the sport, I certainly had agents come to me and say, ‘If your sport was in the Olympics, we could make you $1 million today, but unfortunately the marketability of your sport without being in the Olympics is not there,'” said Geraghty-Moats, who won the inaugural World Cup title.
Not allowing women to compete in what some would see as the final achievement of professional athlete status widely discourages women everywhere from competing in sports. As an athlete myself, my biggest dream is to go to the Olympics, and I can not imagine what I would do if I was not even allowed to have that dream.
Sexism in sports is not only reflected in policies but also in cultural attitudes, as seen during the Winter Olympics when President Donald Trump laughed with the male ice hockey team about having to invite the women’s team.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump said. “You do know that. I do believe I’d probably would be impeached [if the women’s team wasn’t invited].”
Then, the whole men’s team laughed, even though it was the first time the men’s team had won since 1980, while the women’s team had medaled at every major tournament. The women in the Winter Olympics gained 17 medals for America out of the 33, outperforming their male counterparts for the third consecutive year. These jokes, especially made by influential figures like the President of the United States, show how women’s sports are still not respected and are still seen as a joke. This occurs even when women are working hard and winning more.
These two examples are international stories broadcast all over the world, but female athletes still experience misogyny in sports at all ages and levels. As a female athlete, I have experienced sexism countless times. While the majority of the time it has not been clearly stated , I have felt it through offhand remarks.
Picture of Gillian Dent (author) swimming.
When I tell people I am an athlete, they usually do not take me seriously, even though I am considering going to college for it, and I qualified for states as a sophomore. In my experience, male athletes are taken much more seriously, even when they are not as dedicated or accomplished in their sport. I have also had boys want to race me, even though they have never done my sport and I practice every day, yet they believe they are better than me.
As an athlete, the way that people, especially men, treat women’s sports feels very demeaning, almost as if I am just playing or having fun instead of pushing myself to my limits.
Although women’s sports have become more popular and respected recently, thanks to some amazing female athletes, like Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles. They still have a long way to go to become equal to men’s sports. Sports are not just a game; they shape confidence, opportunities and the way society views women’s abilities. When female athletes are treated as less important, it sends the message to young girls that their dreams matter less. There has been progress, but without real changes in treatment and opportunities for women, women’s sports will still be treated as a joke.
Every athlete, regardless of gender, deserves the chance to compete, be recognized and dream without limits.
