So far, the Olympics have been on for a week, and I've noticed various incidents of sexism and coverage issues. As I learned from AJ+ for instance, Egypt had it's very first Olympic volleyball team this year, yet all we heard about is what they were wearing. Speaking of outfits, women's volleyball is not only highly competitive, but fun to watch--and I'm not talking about watching their legs and butts. As someone who played volleyball in middle and high school and still plays for fun, there are so many interesting moves that the players do at a rapid speed and while they all stem from the legs, that's not what the cameras should be focusing on.
When Katinka Hosszu from Hungary broke a world record in swimming, they showed the "man responsible"--her husband. To give him credit, he encouraged her to get out of bed and practice four years ago after bad losses, but she is responsible for breaking a world record, he just had a hand in it. Corey Cogdell-Unrein, bronze medalist in shooting, was only referenced as "the wife of a Bears' lineman." Although an apology was made, it's the fact that the first thought in terms of the way to describe her was not by using her name, but by putting her in reference to a man.
When Gabby Douglas defied gravity, all people could focus on were that her ends weren't flat. Olympians are something special. They swim faster, run harder, and flip more than anyone in the world. We honor them and look up to them and yet we judge them. We focus on their makeup instead of their makeup instead of the gymnastics routine they made up. We comment on their hair instead of on how they're standing on the podium holding a gold medal, and reporters insult adoptive parents everywhere by claiming that Simone Biles' grandparents aren't really her parents. These men and women make sacrifices we can't comprehend, and yet we ignore how much goes into it only to criticize things that don't matter.
Aside from issues with coverage though, these 2016 Olympics have been pretty historic. Ranging from Simone Manuel being the first Black Female swimmer to win an individual Gold to Simone Biles being the third Black woman to win the all-around in gymnastics, many lives have been changed. The gymnastics team was more diverse than ever, and a slow change is better than no change.
As we go into the next week of Olympic coverage, I encourage you to not just listen to what the NBC reporters are saying, but to do your own research as well. Some of these athletes really have an incredible story, and even if the story doesn't get air time, it's still there.
