The status of the world right now can seem scary, never-ending, and draining. When the world is like this, and the stability of society and politics is in question, we turn to those things we find enjoyment in to ease our minds — reading, drawing, writing, watching movies, series, and watching sports. There is no fault or sin in this. If we were to bear the world on our shoulders all the time, we would simply crumble under the weight. However, as things continue to evolve, and not necessarily in the greatest light, we need to ask ourselves: When does the line between entertainment and political problems become blurred?
At what point do the actions of the false “outside” we’ve created become too much to be ignored? Because, contrary to popular belief, social and political issues do, in fact, bleed into sports.
We want sports to only be this positive thing: entertainment with the small reprieve of community. But when that community is being affected by politics, it becomes about more than JUST entertainment. Reality clashes into us, and you can’t help but wonder: how does this sport I love become a factor in the tragedies we see? I can’t hear the buzzer of the game without acknowledging the screams just outside the arena. I believe the same thing happens to athletes, most notably women athletes.
This reality is why I believe it’s become ignorant, even useless, to believe that sports and politics are not linked. You have seen the negative repercussions of a man coming out and the inaction towards the dark turn it has taken. That inaction comes from a culture that ignores the importance of speaking up, of being “political”. On the bright side of things, you have the happiness of communities while seeing pride initiatives; themed nights; and the good that youth camps do for those without the means to play sports professionally. It’s impossible to experience these and think that sports and politics are not connected. The tenacity female athletes have shown by speaking up proved to me once again that it matters— that sports aren’t just a moment of entertainment with no attachment. Analyzing it further, it’s not surprising. Women in sports have always had to make their stance known, and have never been able to stand on the sideliness of social and political topics.
Even knowing this, relearning this — that women have always been at the forefront — didn’t exactly mitigate my shock, but doubled it. After having to fight tooth and nail for a spotlight, you would think the action of speaking up, especially against an entire government faction, would be more deliberate. Yet, it was not. With the very possible reality of receiving backlash, hate, the cold-shoulder, and usual criticism that women in sports tend to endure, some of them still chose to publicly stand by their fellow citizens and their community.
WNBA, PWHL players, and Olympians took the space of press conferences, social media, and interviews to rally themselves with the community. Perhaps expecting athletes to use their platform seems unfair — after all, some might say they’re regular people with a cool job. However, when you have a platform or a following that looks up to you, the actions you take, what you ally yourself with, and the words you say have an impact. That matters.
“I’m racing for American people who stand for love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination,” said Olympian Jessie Diggins. Uniting her voice with many other Olympians like Alyssa Liu, Stacy Gaskill, and Amber Glenn. The consensus across social media platforms was strong. After staggering, back-to-back news and videos of citizens being abused and the administration doing nothing, to have people most of us admire speak up is a little sliver of hope.
I especially highlight the women who’ve decided to speak up. Because, in a world where women’s sports continues to be seen as lesser, it is inspiring to see that their predicament does not silence them, but shows them why speaking up matters. It also bears importance when contrasting it with men athletes’ actions — or better said, inactions. Yes, perhaps there were a number of male athletes who spoke up, especially when an NBA game was suspended because of ICE killing another U.S citizen in Minnesota. But the number is less notable than those of the women who chose, and have chosen, to use their voice. These women have mostly been berated and hated for speaking up about injustice.
“Keep politics out of sports.”
That was the consensus when they spoke up. But is the outrage really about melding politics with sports, or is it more about the type of politics?
One of the biggest and more recent examples would be the contrast between Olympians; more specifically, those within hockey. Now, hockey is widely known as one of the most conservative and white sports out there — incredibly male-centered, too. In 2022, it was reported that the NHL could possibly be “too white.” And, it was only by 2023 that the PWHL (the Professional Women’s Hockey League) was founded, and by 2026 that a black woman was on the roster for the USA national team.
Some would say any misogyny, racism, and MAGA support coming from these statistics shouldn’t be surprising. However, fans still showed their disappointment at the series of events that took place after the men’s ice hockey team won their gold medal. A team of players who never spoke up about the Minnesota killings — even when some are from the NHL team of the city, The Wild — doubled down on where they stand, not even a full day after claiming victory.
“Keep politics out of sports,” they told the women. But the men of the U.S ice hockey team celebrated their win with beer chugging FBI Director, Kash Patel, and a call from the President of the United States, who invited them to the State of the Union address. Of course, he then added the women’s team to the invitation, some might say almost like an afterthought, “I must tell you…I think if we don’t do that, I do believe I would probably be impeached.” The members of the men’s team laughed at the “joke,” which left a bitter taste for many around the country, especially women.
It must be noted that the women’s ice hockey team performed better than the men’s, and have won eight medals— one for all the years they’ve participated in the Olympics, four of which were silver and three gold. The men had not won a medal until this year, since 2010, in which they took the silver medal. Their last gold before this year’s was in 1980.
Now, is this tenacity or basic knowledge of human rights? I would argue it’s both. We often expect allyship and words from those in positions of influence, small or big. It always raises the question: is it their responsibility? It makes us think about the possible reason one might not speak up or talk outright about their beliefs or identities — after all, locker rooms and sports culture, especially within sports like hockey, are not safe spaces for those outside the status quo. Much of the world is like that now; speaking up can and will put you in the spotlight.
When we speak up against misogyny, about streets not being peaceful, and people being killed, we can say it’s basic human rights. But when people in highly conservative spaces are surrounded by the very things they speak against — bigots, racism, and misogyny — it becomes an honorable thing to do. Hence, the tenacity it requires to put yourself in a tough spot to speak for others, to recognize it affects those around you. It’s not something I take lightly, much less in these times.
This article was originally meant to be just a piece on women speaking up. But, as an avid hockey fan, the absolute contrast between the treatment of the U.S women’s hockey team and the men’s hockey team was the perfect example of something I’ve been sitting on since this presidential term started. We can say “keep sports out of politics,” but it feels a bit empty when it’s a nitpicky situation that depends on the type of politics.
It was easy to yell in a locker room to “close the northern border” after a win against Canada, without any backlash from the mainstream media. It should’ve been easy for other athletes, especially women, to say love, compassion, and respect were the things they were participating for in the name of their country.
The women spoke up, as they have always done. While their male counterparts laughed at a bad joke of inclusivity their president made, already with the bad rep of never addressing any real issues their communities (and by that I mean those where their teams are based) face. Are we supposed to chalk it up to boy locker room talk? Believing the lie that perhaps sports, or this sport, aren’t for people outside of their hegemonic bubble? Or should we, perhaps, watch the women’s example and see that sports are about togetherness and are for everyone? And maybe, just maybe, demanding a bit of respect is not so out of this world?
After all, if women can do it, it should be oh so easy for men, no?