Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper expressed frustration after his team’s elimination from the NHL playoffs.
He cited the disallowance of two goals due to interference and suggested dressing goalies in skirts as a solution.
NHL coach suggests putting ‘skirts’ on goalies during press conference rant https://t.co/X26WK6kVk4 pic.twitter.com/8Zph3pHvVW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 30, 2024
While Cooper’s argument about different rules for different players was valid, his analogy was unnecessary and overlooked the physicality of women’s hockey.
Using misogynistic tropes perpetuates the notion that women are weak and inferior to men, which is detrimental to women’s sports.
It is ironic that Cooper’s comment coincides with the thriving popularity of women’s sports.
The decision of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s social media team to highlight the analogy on Twitter adds to the controversy surrounding it.
Although suggesting goalies wear skirts may not be the worst thing said in NHL locker rooms, it serves as a reminder that demeaning athletes by comparing them to women is outdated and should be eliminated from public interviews and press conferences.
Fans reacted as follows:
Women…and the men who hate them.
— Anne "IStandWithUkraine" McCarthy (@AM_McCarthy) April 30, 2024
Ridiculous!
— Justin "J-Man" Lawson (@JustinJManLaws1) April 30, 2024
Grow up. Fake outrage
— TexasBallCoach (@TxBallCoach40) April 30, 2024
Old man shouldn’t talk smack, any women’s hockey player in a skirt would absolutely destroy him in 20 seconds.
— OneKumar (@OneKumar_NFL) April 30, 2024
