These men made costly mistakes that will be remembered longer than the medals they won.
I feel compelled to express my disappointment in the United States Men’s Olympic Hockey Team. Gold medals don’t make you good people. Not only did these guys miss an opportunity to respond to Trump’s words in real time, words meant to disparage the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Hockey Team, but they didn’t even choose the minimal decent response, silence. They tittered and laughed when an adjudicated rapist—accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, referenced 3,800 times in the Epstein files, a bully who paid families of both male and female children for their silence after sexual abuse—denigrated women again.
I get that they’re young, but as time passes, they’ll realize that when they snickered, they surrendered their likability in the eyes of much of the public. They became stereotypical, misogynistic jocks. They are not role models for children; they are children. And I think they’ll pay for these mistakes, with lost endorsements.
After the guffaw, most of them continued on their dance with the devil when they visited the White House for a cold McDonald’s feast served with bottled water. When you hear a woman being disparaged and you don’t speak out, you are cowards, no better than the bully who spoke the words.
Not all members of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team laughed at President Donald Trump’s joke. I feel bad for the handful of players who will carry Trump’s stench. Their medals also lost their luster.
Four Team-members expressed remorse, but still went to the White House:
- Charlie McAvoy apologized publicly.
- Jeremy Swayman said the team “should have reacted differently.
- Jake Sanderson called the reaction “a mistake” adding that they would act differently if given the chance, but that apology was negated when he said the backlash was “blown out of proportion.” Learn when to stop talking, Jake.
- Zach Werenski said the moment “doesn’t look great.” He said the laughter was not meant to disrespect the women’s team who are “incredible people” and “incredible hockey players.”
Five team members did not go to the White House: Jake Guentzel, Kyle Connor, Brock Nelson, Jake Oettinger, and Jackson LaCombe. None of these were the men who apologized. They refused the invitation due to schedule conflicts.
The women’s team showed us their integrity when they refused the felon’s insincere invitation to the White House. They celebrated their win by dining Italian in Milan with actor and author Stanley Tucci at his favorite restaurant. I know which experience I’d enjoy.
Now, Flavor Flav is hosting the Women’s team at an event in Las Vegas.
The men might have turned over endorsement deals that would have been theirs to the women, who have had a surge in popularity.
This was such a lost opportunity for the men. It surprised me when they used the term ‘locker room talk’ because that is exactly what Trump called his ‘grabbing women’ comment several years ago. The men totally blew it and, sadly, realized it too late. I hope the women don’t go to the White House. They are so much above Mickey D’s and bottled water.
I don’t think they’ve all realized it. Some look happy with their meals and surroundings. I know professional athletes grow up in small boxes of training, eating, and sleeping, so maybe this is their parent’s failure.
Donald Trump’s disrespect for women has set us back decades.