The U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team defeated Canada to win gold this year at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, which marks a 3-time victory with their wins from 2018 and 1998. It should have been one of the biggest moments in women’s sports history this winter, but the victory was quickly taken away from the athletes. 

For decades, women’s sports achievements have been overshadowed by differences in media coverage and public attention compared to men’s sports. They receive less attention and recognition for all the hard work and dedication they put into their sports, and they deserve respect. At this year’s Winter Olympics, the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 to win gold. Despite an incredible victory, the attention shifted to a comment made by U.S. President Donald Trump. He stated he might have to invite the women’s team as well or risk impeachment, which many viewed as a diss to their achievement that day. While it’s worth noting the men’s hockey team also won gold for the first time since 1980, the women’s victory deserved equal celebration and respect. 

However, this is not just a one-time incident. Across various sports, women athletes often face different treatment in pay, audiences, and media coverage, even when they are just as capable of accomplishing great things. Another example was in 2019, when the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Even though they won and were one of the most successful teams in the world, the team earned less pay than the U.S. men’s team, which had never won a World Cup. Former soccer player Megan Rapinoe stated, “We’ve been very successful… and to get paid about the same dollar-for-dollar amount [as the men]-- that’s sort of at the heart of pay inquiry and gender discrimination.” The women’s team dominated the World Cup and broke many records by doing so. But even after proving themselves worthy at the highest level, the discussion surrounding their achievement was focused on money and not the win itself. The visible pattern is that women’s success is viewed differently. Men are celebrated simply for winning, but for women, these wins come with a set of issues they have to face. 

Additionally, in 2023 and 2024, women’s college basketball broke a record for viewership due to the help of stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and more. Historically, women’s sports have struggled with viewership as they received less coverage and competed with men’s sports for large audiences. But even with these recent high numbers, media coverage often focuses on the sport's dramatic aspects rather than the skill of these female athletes. This focus shows that society still tends to treat women’s accomplishments as secondary and fails to give them the same respect given to men. Times like these demonstrate a constant issue, which is that women can bring new audiences to their sports and excel at the highest level they can perform, but still struggle to get recognized for their dedication and performance.

Female athletes continue to fight for recognition. Winning medals, breaking records, and growing audiences should be grounds for them to finally gain respect, but their accomplishments come with all sorts of controversy. If we truly value athletes, then we need to honor women’s sports with the same respect and attention given to men. Until women’s achievements are celebrated on their own, the fight for equality in sports will continue, and many of their wins will keep being overlooked. 

This Article was Edited by Amaan Musani