Opinion: Women’s sport doesn’t need Trump as a saviour

In the evening of the first Olympic gold for the men’s Ice Hockey team since the team’s Lake Placid 1980 competition, amidst celebration a call from the head of US Administration highlighted the ever-present gender disparity within the structure of the sport. In a bid to make himself likeable to the men’s team Trump made a joke that punched down at extending the presidential invite to the women’s team for fear of ‘probably being impeached.’

The future of women’s sports is paving the way for championing and elevating female athlete

It is no surprise that as the head of the Republican party and the increasingly fascist MAGA movement, Donald Trump would make such derogatory comments, what has been more disappointing has been the reaction of the majority of the men’s locker room erupting in that same laughter. This can be viewed as a direct consequence of ice hockey and the NHL becoming an increasingly elitist activity. Admittance to hockey academies, like the Canadian International Hockey Academy, which are the type of programmes attended by Conner McDavid and 11 other members of the 2015 world junior team have starting tuition of $48,900 CAD a year for domestic students alone.

This high pressure-built environment has shifted the focus from building well-rounded athletes, and rather manufacturing the perfect hockey player. To be good, you need to be wealthy, which becomes detrimental to the culture of the game. Ice hockey then becomes exclusive in its practice, which is the pinnacle of what audiences saw on the 22nd , with jokes made behind closed doors revealing the widespread dismissal of professional women’s hockey and sports alike.

The Olympic champions are refusing to entertain people who make jokes at their expense

What I’d like to highlight is that in spite of general and damaging attitudes, the future of women’s sports is paving the way for championing and elevating female athletes on both a professional level and a global stage. The U.S. Women’s Olympic Team alone has won three gold medals (2026, 2018, 1998) four silver medals (2002, 2010, 2014, 2022) and one bronze medal (2006) which since the inauguration of the women’s tournament in 1988 is two more gold medals than their male counterparts. Having declined their own invite to the presidential office, the Olympic champions are refusing to entertain people who make jokes at their expense. And in doing so, opening avenues for young women to see themselves represented in the space of professional sports.

This is only doubled by the public outcry of support that met the controversy. Support online in the form of internet think pieces are heavily in support of the PWHL team as well as in person. In the release of the latest Saturday Night Live on first of March 2026 host Connor Storrie introduced the women’s team captain Hilary Knight and alternate captain Megan Keller, and their joke “it was meant to be only us, but we decided to ask the guys as well” was met with a righteous and sustained applause. Personally, in times of increased scrutiny and misogyny from both politicians and otherwise it becomes essential to highlight the true solidarity that comes from the people watching at home.

Empathy is never a sin, and for the sportswomen who won the 2026 Olympics and elsewhere, it is such a pleasure to give them that kudos that is so hard-earned.