Written by SST Contributor Hodari P.T. Brown
In a historic sweep at the 2026 Winter Olympics, both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams captured gold medals. It was a rare and remarkable achievement. Yet the response from the nation’s highest office revealed how deeply sexism still runs in American sports and society.
During a post-victory phone call with the men’s team, President Donald Trump congratulated them and invited them to attend the State of the Union. In that same exchange, he remarked that he would also have to invite the women’s team, joking that he might be impeached otherwise. The comment drew laughter from players in the room.
Shortly thereafter, the women’s team declined the invitation, citing previously scheduled academic and professional commitments. The contrast was sharp. One team stood front and center in celebration. The other became part of a punchline before quietly stepping away.
This was not simply a matter of tone. It was a revealing moment about how women’s accomplishments are treated in the highest corridors of power.
Women’s Hockey Is Not Secondary
The United States women’s hockey program is one of the most dominant forces in international sport. Over the past two decades, it has consistently competed at the highest level, earning Olympic gold medals and World Championship titles. Their excellence is not episodic. It is sustained, disciplined, and earned.
Yet in public discourse, the men’s victory was instinctively treated as the primary achievement. The women’s gold was acknowledged, but not with the same enthusiasm or urgency. That reflex is part of a larger problem.
The same pattern has followed other elite women’s programs, including the United States women’s soccer team, whose international dominance has surpassed that of its male counterpart. Women athletes continue to deliver results that demand respect. Too often, that respect arrives diluted.
Leadership Requires Equal Recognition
The President of the United States sets the cultural tone. Words matter. When both teams achieve the same historic feat and only one receives unqualified celebration, the message is unmistakable.
Recognition should not come with reluctance. It should not be framed as an obligation. It should reflect equal pride.
Women train with the same intensity. They sacrifice the same time. They endure the same pressure. In many cases, they do so with fewer resources, less pay, and reduced visibility. To treat their victories as secondary reinforces structural inequities that women athletes have fought for decades to dismantle.
Silence Sends a Message
Another troubling aspect of this controversy was the muted response from members of the men’s team when asked about the president’s remarks. While some spoke generally about unity across USA Hockey, few directly addressed the implication that the women’s team required a reluctant invitation.
This was a leadership opportunity. The Hughes brothers and others represent a generation that benefits from a broader, more inclusive sports culture built in part by women athletes who demanded fairness. Speaking clearly in defense of equal respect would have strengthened that culture.
Silence does not exist in a vacuum. In moments that expose inequity, silence can signal acceptance of the status quo.
The Larger Reality of Sexism in Sports
This incident is not isolated. Women athletes continue to fight for equal pay, equal facilities, equal marketing, and equal media coverage. Even in the Olympics, where national pride is at its peak, disparities in attention and celebration persist.
Women’s sports are not a side attraction. They are elite, competitive, and deeply influential. Women athletes have transformed global sport, expanded opportunities for girls, and shifted cultural expectations about strength, leadership, and excellence.
Their impact extends beyond the rink, the field, or the court. It shapes workplaces, classrooms, and communities. Fairness in sports reflects fairness in society.
A Clear Standard Moving Forward
Equal achievement demands equal recognition. There should be no qualifiers, no hesitation, and no hierarchy in celebrating Olympic gold.
The United States women’s hockey team earned its place in history through discipline and dominance. Their success deserves the same enthusiasm afforded to their male counterparts.
Women athletes have paved the way not only for future competitors but for broader social progress. Respecting their accomplishments is not political correctness. It is justice.
The standard is simple. When women win, celebrate them fully. When they lead, acknowledge it without reservation. Equality in sports is inseparable from equality in life.
