Based on a news story that I saw, the question needs to be answered. The USA's Olympic outfits have been released and it hasn't been complimented or lauded. It's had the opposite reaction. The criticism has been the same. It all points to patriarchy that rules sport and there's no room for feminism. Let's dive in to the matter.
Nike released the new designs as part of the kit launch for the Olympics in Paris this year. One former athlete said that it was a, "costume born of patriarchal forces.” The women's one was a leotard that has a high cut bikini line. Former US track and field athlete, Lauren Fleshman, wrote on Instagram, “This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or needed to get eyes on women’s sports.”
In response to all the criticism, Nike has stated that the design was one of a range of styles that an athlete can choose from. In a press release from the previous week, they stated that the designs were made in partnership with athletes. John Hoke, Chief Innovation Officer for Nike, stated, "Working directly with athletes throughout every stage of the design process, Nike designed garments to ensure fit across a range of body types and style preferences, and infused real-time feedback throughout the entire product development cycle.”
A spokesman from USA Track and Field (USATF) also said that the outfits in the launch were just two of many options “including 50 unique pieces.” “Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike.”
This criticism isn't a standalone matter. It has existed ever since there was a concern of centering around an overpolicing of women’s apparel or outfits sexualizing women’s sport. A popular example can be the Tokyo 2020 games where German women’s gymnastics team refused to wear bikini cut uniforms in favour of full body versions, in what the German Gymnastics Federation branded a statement against “sexualization.”
In a general sense, when looking at other sports, it's the male orientated sports that get the more hype. The women don't get advertised to the extreme like the men. I have to admit that I find it hard to follow what happens in the women's sports due to lack of media coverage. From my perspective, all sport, for some reason, prioritise the men's competitions.
When you look at different competitions, you would observe that the men's competitions is going far longer than the women's version e.g. in cricket, this year's IPL is the 17th edition (est. in 2008) while this was the 2nd edition (est. in 2023) of WPL. The only competition that I can think of that have equal standing is The Hundred (England's cricket league). However, there is still a discrepancy: the women's matches are always the earlier timed matches while the men's occur later on.
Even the fanfare is the same. I never hear people talking about the women's competitions. It's all about the men. It's almost as if the female counterparts doesn't exist. I can only assume that the women's competitions are just as exciting and blood boiling as the men's one.
Proof can be seen even in the news outlets. TV news, radio news and various Youtube shows/podcasts only tend to speak about the men's news and results and the women are rarely talken about. It's only when a major incident that has occured that the women's game will be talked about.
So, to answer the question, yes, patriarchy is ruling sports. This is highly direspectable and unfair in my eyes. Men and women are equal and should be treated as such. It's no excuse if someone brings up that the men's competition has gone on longer and hence, they deserve priority. If this trend continues, we might as well go back to the 18th and 19th centuries when women didn't have any rights. I hope that doesn't happen. Everyone is equal.
Let's stand in solidarity and fight for feminism!
Source material
Church, B. 2024. Nike’s US women’s Olympic team outfits criticized for being ‘born of patriarchal forces.’ CNN.