On Feb. 19, the U.S. Women’s Hockey team won Olympic gold against Team Canada four minutes into the overtime period. Three days later, viewers experienced déjà vu when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team won in a similar 2-1 overtime against Team Canada.

As an increasingly unproud American, this was a bittersweet moment for me as I grappled with my extreme distaste for current U.S. leadership and the new-age patriotism this leadership has forcibly fostered. 

Just one day later, a video circulated on social media of U.S President Donald Trump inviting the men’s team to a celebratory White House visit, and I was quickly reminded of why I remain distinctly unpatriotic. After the team enthusiastically accepted the invitation, Trump said, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” which was met with an uproar of laughter from the players. Trump continued, “I do believe I probably would be impeached [if I didn’t invite them].”

When the invitation was indeed extended to the women’s team, they politely declined, citing “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”

The video was subject to significant backlash—from Megan Rapinoe calling Trump’s remark “trash” to Flava Flav inviting the team to an alternate celebratory trip to Las Vegas. At the centre of the criticism is gold medal game-winner Jack Hughes, who appeared on Good Morning America and responded to the online hate.

“I think we are so tight with [the women’s team]. After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. […] with them,” Hughes said. “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them.”

Hughes wields the close relationship between the teams to shield the implications behind his actions. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he blames the criticism on people being pessimistic and overly-sensitive, saying they are making something out of “almost nothing.”

And that’s just it. For Hughes, a 24-year-old who secured the first gold medal for the U.S. men in 46 years, it is //almost nothing//. Allowing sexist remarks behind closed doors is so normalized and ingrained in our society that it doesn’t even register as significant to him.

When women’s sports are still receiving less funding and less coverage than men’s, this is definitely not almost nothing. This incident shows that you can represent your country at the highest level, inspire a generation of women, consistently outperform men, and still be mocked and laughed at. It is not funny, it is not a joke—and yes, it is that serious.

The repercussions of this incident speak to a broader movement: Women are increasingly disinterested in marriage and dating. There are more single women than ever, and this change is by choice. A survey from the American Enterprise Institute found that almost half of college-educated women attribute their singlehood to an inability to find someone who meets their expectations, whereas only a quarter of men say the same. Women don’t feel that there are suitable options for them and would rather be alone than in a relationship with someone who doesn’t respect them as an equal.

During this time of increased singlehood, there has also been a rise in the so-called “male loneliness epidemic.” While a 2025 Pew Research Center study found that there is only a one per cent difference between loneliness in men and women, men are complaining that women have abandoned them. 

Men blame women for being disinterested while lacking any accountability or reflection on //why// that is. Women have known that the kindness shown to their faces doesn’t always survive the walk to the next room. What has changed is that women now have the autonomy to do something about it. The male loneliness epidemic and women’s retreat from dating aren’t isolated social phenomena; they are a direct response from the former to the latter. Cause and effect.

This video of a single moment reflects a pattern of performative allyship that is unacceptable. Women no longer need to put up with a dynamic where they are celebrated in public and diminished in private. The loneliness epidemic, the declining marriage rates, the women opting out altogether—these are not crises that happened to men; they are consequences. You reap what you sow.