The Rio Olympics have showcased the abilities of men and women. The raw power, the finesse, the determination, and the sportsmanship that comes with being an Olympic athlete has all been featured at the Games. I actually thoroughly enjoy watching the Olympics because I enjoy watching people do amazing things, things that I couldn’t even imagine doing.
However, for certain television stations and news outlets covering the Games the coverage of women’s events was kind of brutal in a sense. Personally I thought CBC did very well in simply delivering us unbiased events. Yet, other headlines, mostly from our neighbours to the south focused on other aspects of women in sport.
When American athlete Corey Dogdell-Unrein won a bronze medal in trap shooting she was referred in the press simply as “Wife of Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics.” I’m sure she loves her husband, but she just won an Olympic medal how about put her name in there somewhere at least.
Other coverage included NBC stating, after a fantastic performance by a Hungarian swimmer, a comment of “and there’s the person responsible for her performance,” as her coach/husband was picking something up in the background of the shot on her. Granted this one might have just been an errant way of saying that her coach/husband helped her along the way as a coach and a support system does, but it came off as undercutting the fact that in the moment the only one responsible for the performance was her… I mean her coach/husband wasn’t in the pool, so a poor choice of words perhaps.
There was also a ton of attention on Egypt’s first ever beach volleyball team at the Olympics… but the only discussion was of how they were wearing spandex pants and long sleeves and one of the athletes was wearing a hijab. Why does any of that really matter? They were the first female beach volleyball team out of Egypt to make the games… but I didn’t find that out until three days after I watched their first game.
Apparently the American gymnastic team looked like they belonged in a mall… which ok… they’re young girls, all dressed up with make-up on, and standing in a circle chatting either before or after a performance, I don’t remember which. But, it just seems like an unwarranted statement focused on their looks as opposed to their abilities as athletes.
A judo competition was referred to as a “catfight,” while Katie Ledecky set a women’s 800m freestyle record and was given what looked like a footnote under a banner about Michael Phelps winning silver.
Perhaps this all just seems odd to me because being Canadian… we’re not the strongest in the summer Olympics, give us some snow and off we go, but although our athletes have improved in the events, it’s still not quite the same as those that dominate the top medal counts. Additionally this year, I watched a variety of events and in the beginning it seemed like Canadian medals were only going to be brought home by the ladies competing. So, I guess Canada’s press couldn’t really minimize what female athletes were doing because until a few days ago they were the only ones on the podium.
Now, before you say I’m a crazy feminist, there was a moment where a male was also subjected to the scrutiny of the internet and the press in similar ways as the female athletes. The Tonga flag bearer at the opening ceremonies was shirtless and covered in oil, so there was media coverage focused on what he looked like. However, one moment doesn’t make up for the multiple ones women have seen in the media at the Games. But, at least there’s dialogue and discussion.
