Olympics Include Lessons For Boys About Gender Equality

Say what you want about the Olympics, there is some value in this grossly expensive endeavour.

If we put aside the aspects we don’t like – the occasional cheating, the cost, the politics, the unnecessary extravagance of the opening and closing ceremonies – and focus on the games alone, we can uncover some wonderful opportunities to show boys the strength of women.

Too often female athletes are relegated to the sidelines (pardon the pun). When a boy draws up a list of hockey superstars, chances are pretty good that Hayley Wickenheiser will not be on it. When he thinks of basketball, the WNBA does not likely come to mind. And baseball or football? Women aren’t even a factor unless you count cheerleaders and the horribly sexist beer commercials that dominate every football broadcast – and I certainly don’t.

Boys watching the Olympics can see women excel in sports – a field that they likely associate most closely with men. We Canadians have an embarrassment of riches on the women’s side. Our hockey players are the best in the world.  Our speed skaters are definite medal threats, as are many women in the sliding sports, snowboarding and skiing. In fact, two of our three medal winners at this point are women.

Women from other countries are also strong performers in all winter sports, including the aforementioned events and endurance sports like cross-country and biathlon. Figure skating and curling are other areas where women can share the spotlight with men. Sadly, women were denied a chance to show their skills in ski jumping, but the efforts made by a group of Canadian athletes to include women in this sport certainly drew attention to this glaring omission.

Yes, the women will be obscured by the men, especially in marquee sports like hockey, but the Olympics Games still offer one of the best, if not the only, international showcase for female athletic achievement.

By watching women compete in these games, boys will get a new perspective on the meaning of the word “athlete”. They will see women as strong, accomplished (and fully clothed) sports stars – a nice contrast to the giddy, silly and scantily clad women they often see on television and in film.