BY HEATHER DOCKRAY From Mashable

It’s Olympics time — that special time when the world’s strongest, toughest and bravest women come together to prove they’re still not as good as men.

As least, that’s what some Olympics commentators seem to think, based on the stories that have been circulating in the last 72 hours alone. Even though female athletes are breaking records and shattering glass ceilings, that’s still not enough for the polo-shirted CommentBros of the world. They’re still not enough. Plus, women’s leg muscles look all funky when they exercise too much — is a flimsy gold medal really worth that excess calf weight?

A study recently published by Cambridge University Press analyzed language in over 160 newspapers, magazines and blogs and found some unsurprising results. Men were three times as likely to be referred to in a sporting context, attached to the words “strong, big, real, great or fastest,” and women were disproportionately likely to be associated with the words “aged, pregnant or unmarried.”

More women are competing in the Olympics than ever before — but that hasn’t stopped some commentators from serving up hot plates of sexist garbage. Here are just a few of the entrees on the menu:

1. The time NBC said women — not advertising dollars — were the reason they were showing so many commercials.

NBC was loudly criticized across the internet for showing too many commercials during Friday night’s five-hour opening ceremony. But instead of taking some of the blame, or openly admitting that they were just trying to chase a few dollars down (the media giant has already sold $1.2 billion in national Olympics ads), NBC spokesman John Miller found a more convenient scapegoat — women.

“The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans. More women watch the Games than men, and for the women, they’re less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. It’s sort of like the ultimate reality show and mini-series wrapped into one. And to tell the truth, it has been the complaint of a few sports writers. It has not been the complaint of the vast viewing public.”

2. The time the Chicago Tribune referred to a female Olympic bronze medalist as a “wife” — in their headline.

For some, being married is an achievement. Also an achievement: being one of the most successful female athletes in the entire universe.

But when trap shooter Corey Cogdell-Unrein won her second bronze medal at the Rio Olympics this year, The Chicago Tribune seemed a little bit more interested in the details of her marriage to Bears lineman Mitch Unrein than her actual medal. Their headline doesn’t even mention the sport in which she medaled: “Corey Cogdell, wife of Bears lineman Mitch Unrein, wins bronze in Rio.”

The newspaper’s tweet about Cogdell was even more egregious and did not mention her name, reading: “Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics.”

While it’s fair for the Tribune to mention the marriage at some point in the piece, imagine if the newspaper had done the reverse: “Husband of Olympic medalist Corey Cogdell, wins big game in Chicago.”

The article included other insipid gems like this one: “This is Cogdell-Unrein’s third Olympic games, but Unrein, a defensive end in his second season with the Bears, was unable to get away from training camp to join her in Rio and see her in the Olympics for the first time.”

Thrilling!

3. The time NBC called a female athlete’s husband responsible for her gold medal.

Winning an Olympic medal takes strength, determination and, if you’re a woman, a monogamous wiener by your side.

On Saturday, Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu shattered the world record in the 400-medley. The Olympian broke the record by nearly two seconds — a lifetime in Olympian time. But instead of crediting her for her own victory, NBC commentator Dan Hicks chose to highlight her husband and coach Shane Tusup as the man “responsible for her victory.”

Because clearly, Hosszu’s body wasn’t her own. It was simply an empty vessel for her magical husband, who used his natural powers of telekineses to move her through the water at mind-blowing, record-breaking speeds.

4. Male spectators who mansplain how to play sports to the world’s greatest female athletes.
On Sunday, Olympian and cyclist Annemiek Van Vleuten was involved in a devastating crash that terrified everyone who watched. Van Vleuten appeared to be headed for a spectacular victory when the accident occurred, leaving her with a concussion and three spine fractures.

When Van Vleuten went to Twitter to thank her fans, some offered words of support and encouragement, while one male fan — who is not, technically, an Olympian — actually offered the groundbreaking athlete words of advice:

Keep your anger steady ladies . . . whether fast or slow.

5. When one NBC commentator said that the towering U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team looked like they “might as well be standing in the middle of a mall.”

The USA’s Women Gymnastics team may prove to be one of the country’s most dominant yet. On Sunday, however, shortly after the team destroyed the competition during the qualifying round, one unidentified commentator argued that the smiling victorious women looked like they “might as well as be standing in the middle of a mall.”

To clarify, these women were not standing in a mall chit-chatting over Frostees, but instead celebrating their success in one of the most prestigious arenas in the world.

However, if the U.S. team would like to come to my local mall and perform, I’d welcome them with open arms (and many supporting mats).

6. When The Daily Mail referred to a record-breaking female swimmer as the “female Michael Phelps.”

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky broke her own her own world record during the women’s 400 meter freestyle Saturday night. Still, commentators couldn’t recognize her success for what it was, but instead chose to recognize her in relation to a male athlete — Michael Phelps.

In the comments, people couldn’t stop exclaiming that Ledecky swam like a “man.” What exactly swimming likes a man looks like (you have bigger . . . feet? You have very boring haircuts?) is unclear, but one thing is evident: Ledecky rocks.

The Olympics end on August 21st, but the struggle — and the righteous listicles — will go on.

IMAGES:

NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES

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IMAGE: SAM GREENWOOD/GETTY IMAGES

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