The 2026 Winter Olympics filled the headlines this year. During the games, 2,900 athletes competed, with 47% of them being women. The 2026 games were the most gender-balanced games in history. The U.S. team contributed to 232 of these athletes, or 8% of total female athletes. The country came together for these games; no matter what side of the political spectrum people were on, they were able to celebrate the number of medals we took home. 

On February 19th, the U.S. women’s hockey team won gold. 4 days later, their counterparts, the men’s team, won gold for the first time in 46 years. These wins were celebrated by many who had never watched hockey before due to the historic increase in viewership of HBO’s recent hockey romance. However, this celebration did not last long.

In the locker room, the men received a phone call. On the other line was the current United States President, Donald Trump. He invited them to attend his State of the Union Address and then followed it up with, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” A cruel joke that somehow caused the entire room to be filled with laughter. Only two of the twenty-five men didn’t laugh, and both are unknown from the video only. One said “absolutely,” and the other tried to start a chant saying “two for two,” which is a nod at the double win. None of the men joined in on this chant. Twenty-three of them just continued laughing. The video of this interaction was featured on many credible news websites and caused an uproar on social media. 

Later, the women’s hockey team released a statement, declaring that they are unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. Whether or not this comment was part of that decision is unknown and will likely never be known. However, many believe that it was an aspect, as the women may not want to attend due to feeling unwelcome. Many others truly believe it was just scheduling conflicts. In the midst of this decline, Flavor Flav, an American rapper who had previously supported the U.S team in the Olympics, decided to send out an invite of his own. Flavor Flav announced that he had invited the women’s team to a celebration in Las Vegas. He then proceeded to invite all the female athletes who participated in the Olympics and Paralympics. According to him, they have received and possibly accepted the invitation, but it is still unknown. 

There wasn’t an immediate response. However, when there was, it was not from any member of the Men’s team, but a mother of two of the players: Ellen Hughes. Ellen was a former hockey player and current development coach for the Women’s team, so her response defending the boys felt shocking. Many felt that her wording felt dismissive of the actions in the locker room. She stated, “If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors… the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women–.” This response in itself is not necessarily the worst; it was the first response made, and it was before any accountability was taken. Soon after, Jack Hughes made another questionable response, referring to the online response as “backlash for all the social media stuff today,” and “[making] something out of almost nothing.” But this wasn’t almost nothing; this was a locker room that caused so many women around the world to feel laughed at or disrespected. Later in time, we would see a real response and apology from the men. However, it is important to remember that we do not see every apology made. What people see online may not reflect reality. No viewer is owed the right to hear the apology to the women. What is owed is an apology for the joke itself and the harm caused to past, present, and future women in sports for thinking something is funny when it does harm. 

By the week’s end, a response finally came from a few members of the women’s team. The response varied by player. Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Grace Zumwinkle, Britta Curl- Salemme, Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise, and team captain, Hilary Knight, all voiced their different opinions. Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards had similar responses, voicing how they are choosing to ignore and focus on their success. Grace Zunwinkle, Britta Curl-Salemme, and Taylor Heise pointed out their positive experiences with their counterpart team. Finally, Alex Carpenter and Hiliary Knight replied by calling the comment out. Alex Carpenter said, “I respect everyone’s right to their free speech and, you know, I think it says a lot about them as people and about Team USA as a whole group.” Hilary Knight referred to it as “distasteful and unfortunate.” The different points of view make it clear that the impact varied. Similar to how it varied across social media. 

The social media response filled many feeds for a few days after the incident. Some celebrities, such as Chris Olsen, commented on this joke with a video with the text, “and just like that, with one phone call, the USA men’s hockey team ruins ALLL the good press hockey got…” Along with that, there were many comments drawing connections between the men in hockey romances and the men’s team. Sofia Bush added to this conversation by posting her own video with the text stating “Our [hockey] boyfriends would NEVER.” 

While humor can be a coping mechanism, it is also important to discuss how seriously disappointing the phone call was. Women’s sports have been historically less watched compared to men’s sports, and many find it hard to even name 10 women in sports. The women being laughed at felt like a personal attack towards all women who have ever had to fight for sport funding, practice time, equipment, equality, watch time, support, and so much more.

Many mothers have taken to social media to share how they choose to raise their boys to not laugh at a joke like the one made. One mother by the name of Payalforstyle shared her son watching the video and using it as a teaching tool on Instagram. She asked her son 8 questions:

• “What happened in that clip?”
• “What was the joke?”
• “Why do you think people laughed?”
• “What do you think [Donald Trump] meant by the joke”
• “Are the women’s accomplishments the same as the men’s? Was the effort, the passion for the game, the teamwork that led to the win any different?”
• “What’s the difference between someone genuinely celebrating you and someone doing it because they feel forced?”
• “When someone important makes a joke, do you think it influences how other people think?”
• “What happens when we laugh along with a joke that shouldn’t be normalized? Who gets hurt by that?”

At the end of the day, a mother can not control the exact person her son will become, but they can teach them from an early age about supporting women. In a world full of toxic boy moms, mothers like these are making a difference by teaching their sons to make a difference. 

This story is still unfolding, but mostly wrapped up on February 28th. At 11:30 pm, an SNL monologue/skit aired with Connor Storrie, an actor in an HBO hockey romance series known as Heated Rivalry. He is standing on stage with Quinn and Jack Hughes. After a brief conversation, the Hughes brothers admit to not having seen Heated Rivalry. Storrie then says, “I hope some hockey players watched it”. The crowd erupts into applause for 30 seconds straight as Hilary Knight and Megan Keller enter. They reassure Storrie that they had watched it. They followed it up with poking fun at the situation that unfolded earlier that week by saying, “It was supposed to be just us but we thought we’d invite the guys too” and “… we thought we’d give them a little moment to shine.” The monologue continues by pointing out the fact that the women’s team frequently wins, while the Men’s team doesn’t. The monologue isn’t long, but it brings humor and a positive end to this story. These women deserve all the success that they have earned, and it’s important to turn this harsh moment into a positive one. If you don’t already watch women’s sports, take a moment to start, and remember that women have worked just as hard, if not harder, to be where they are today in the sports league.