“Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics” are the words I see as I read the latest post from the twitter account of the Chicago Tribune. Immediately, I notice something wrong. Corey Cogdell-Unrein just won a bronze medal in trap shooting, and she can’t even be referenced for her victory by her name?

The 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games came to a close, with the news media recognizing athletes for their victories and accomplishments. The United States received the most medals overall, with a whopping forty-six golds, thirty-seven silvers, and thirty-eight bronzes–one hundred and twenty one medals in all. But female athletes competing in the games this year were not recognized the way men were.

Being a competitive athlete, let alone an Olympic athlete, is no easy job. You’re constantly training, monitoring yourselves, and competing internationally. The athletes who qualify for the Olympics are there because they are the best at what they do. One of the main principles of the Olympics is to unify countries all over the world. The symbol of the five rings linked together represents that. But what I find surprising is that a competition including the majority of countries around the world still cannot make progress on the ongoing issue of sexism.

There were many sexist remarks made at the games this summer, and the history of the Olympics illuminates the roots of the issue. The first official Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. A total of fourteen countries participated, consisting of all male athletes. Four years later, women were allowed to participate in the games. Over a full century later, at the London Winter Games in 2012, was the first time every country had at least one female athlete representative. That’s progress.

But female athletes, an elite group of strong and fit competitors, were regularly body shamed this summer by male broadcasters. Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno was compared to the cartoon “Peppa Pig.” Katie Ledecky in particular, was repeatedly compared to a man because of her strength in the water and how her strokes are similar to a man’s. The only way these male broadcasters could recognize how incredible her swimming was and how fast her times were was to compare her to a man.

Some commentators this year had the audacity to discuss whether or not women should wear makeup in the games. Bo Dietl, a former detective, mentioned in a televised interview that it “just enhances the beauty of the athlete.” Doing makeup is a personal decision, and there should be no shaming of those who choose or choose not to cover up their faces.

Probably one of the most offensive comments made during this year’s Olympics was when a male commentator compared the Final Five, the U.S Gymnastics Team, huddling together after a gymnastics routine to teenagers “standing in a mall.” Their teammate had just completed an outstanding, gravity-defying routine at the Olympics, so they are definitely not in a shopping mall. Just because the athletes are having a great time,doesn’t mean they should be compared to loitering teenagers. They’re so much more than the average teenage girl. They’re incredible athletes.

With all the buzz surrounding female athletes in the news, it’s difficult now to ignore how Parker handles sexism within their sports. I don’t find any issue with the way our sports programs run. Many sports are offered for both boys and girls along with the fact that each team, regardless of gender, gets its own homecoming game, which is far more progressive than many other schools in the city. This is in contrast to many high schools that offer only a homecoming football game and a dance following. The way Parker runs homecoming makes each team feel recognized and celebrated for their hard work so far in their seasons.

But what lies beneath the surface of why the fans show up to games is the ongoing debate of what team “is the most important.” For instance, let’s focus on the recent homecoming weekend. It’s very evident to the athletes and those who came to support them that more people showed up for the varsity boys soccer game than for any other homecoming game.

And why is that? It’s just the unspoken truth about the fans at our school: more people care about the male athletics games. Playing a game for each team is great, but what’s the point of having a homecoming game, with the intention of welcoming the team back to the school, if no one is there to welcome you? No matter how much our school attempts to make it an even playing field among genders and teams, you really can’t force people to care about your sport if it truly doesn’t interest them. But of course, it would be a dream to have fans cheering for you on the sidelines.

I’m sure female athletes would enjoy and appreciate recognition of their victories in the Olympic Games if they were actually recognized as individuals, rather than being compared to men. Issues of gender may always exist, but taking baby steps to equalize treatment in the Games and altering comments made about athletes would be steps in the right direction.