Single Ladies (put an Olympic ring on it)
By Meghan Lawson, Editor-In-Chief
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Editorial
As I made my way down Yonge Street on Sunday evening, high-fiving every maple-leaf-clad passerby I could reach, I was so proud to be Canadian. Like countless others flooding the streets, I felt vindicated by our men's hard-fought triumph over the Americans in the gold medal hockey game.
But this victory wasn't all sweet. As the city was engulfed in a sea of red and white, I couldn't help but wonder: where were the ecstatic celebrations for our women's hockey team? Just two days earlier, Canada's women also battled to bring home the gold, shutting out the US 2-0.
While most Canadians undoubtedly heard of this win, and many surely watched the game on television, the apathetic reception it received in comparison to the men is striking. Cigars and champagne brought Captain Hayley Wickenheiser and her team more attention than athletic achievement.
Surely, in 2010, women receive equal recognition for their accomplishments? Surely, in Canada, female athletes are just as important as male ones? After these Olympics, I have my doubts.
In Vancouver, the discrepancy went beyond the hockey rink. Overall, Canada's women topped their male counterparts in the medal haul, bringing home a total of 15 compared to the men's 11. Females made up 43% of the 206-member team.
Four years ago in Turin, women won two-thirds of the medals for Canada. Even in Athens in 2006, 43 Canadian women stood on the podium compared with 20 men.
Not convinced?
Back in Vancouver, on Feb. 24, female athletes brought Canada one of its most golden moments, winning four medals in three events, including gold and silver in bobsleigh. Olympic veteran Clara Hughes scored a bronze in speed skating, the only person ever to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Games.
But what captured the Toronto Star's front-page headline the next day? The men's quarterfinal victory in hockey over Russia the night before.
Granted, the pool of female athletes fighting for medals is much smaller than the one facing Canadian males. However, female athletes receive considerably less attention from both the media and the public. When's the last time you watched a CWHL game? Yes, that stands for Canadian Women's Hockey League.
Despite this disparity, I'm no less proud to proclaim the men's achievements in Vancouver. But as Crosby and co. return to fame and fortune in the NHL, many female athletes fade back into obscurity in Canada.
It was women who owned the podium this Winter Games. Now if only I could walk down Yonge Street chanting "Wickenheiser" as well as "Crosby."
But this victory wasn't all sweet. As the city was engulfed in a sea of red and white, I couldn't help but wonder: where were the ecstatic celebrations for our women's hockey team? Just two days earlier, Canada's women also battled to bring home the gold, shutting out the US 2-0.
While most Canadians undoubtedly heard of this win, and many surely watched the game on television, the apathetic reception it received in comparison to the men is striking. Cigars and champagne brought Captain Hayley Wickenheiser and her team more attention than athletic achievement.
Surely, in 2010, women receive equal recognition for their accomplishments? Surely, in Canada, female athletes are just as important as male ones? After these Olympics, I have my doubts.
In Vancouver, the discrepancy went beyond the hockey rink. Overall, Canada's women topped their male counterparts in the medal haul, bringing home a total of 15 compared to the men's 11. Females made up 43% of the 206-member team.
Four years ago in Turin, women won two-thirds of the medals for Canada. Even in Athens in 2006, 43 Canadian women stood on the podium compared with 20 men.
Not convinced?
Back in Vancouver, on Feb. 24, female athletes brought Canada one of its most golden moments, winning four medals in three events, including gold and silver in bobsleigh. Olympic veteran Clara Hughes scored a bronze in speed skating, the only person ever to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Games.
But what captured the Toronto Star's front-page headline the next day? The men's quarterfinal victory in hockey over Russia the night before.
Granted, the pool of female athletes fighting for medals is much smaller than the one facing Canadian males. However, female athletes receive considerably less attention from both the media and the public. When's the last time you watched a CWHL game? Yes, that stands for Canadian Women's Hockey League.
Despite this disparity, I'm no less proud to proclaim the men's achievements in Vancouver. But as Crosby and co. return to fame and fortune in the NHL, many female athletes fade back into obscurity in Canada.
It was women who owned the podium this Winter Games. Now if only I could walk down Yonge Street chanting "Wickenheiser" as well as "Crosby."
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