Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
The Lionesses are one game away from the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. They’ve trained relentlessly, studied opponents, survived injuries, and faced pressure. And then, at the pre-quarterfinal pressconference, someone asked about Love Island.
You’d laugh – if it weren’t so infuriating.
This isn’t a one-off. It’s a pattern. Women athletes, at the peak of their profession, consistently find themselves answering questions about anything but their profession. Style, relationships, reality TV – pick your poison. Meanwhile, their male counterparts are grilled on pressing tactics, injury management, psychological preparedness, and legacy.
Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time, was once asked why she wasn’t smiling more after winning a match. Her reply? “To be honest, I don’t want to be here.” Naomi Osaka had to field questions about her shyness more than her strategy. At the 2015 Australian Open, Eugenie Bouchard was asked to “twirl” on court to show off her outfit. Roger Federer never had to.
Cricketer Smriti Mandhana once pointed out that during the World Cup, more reporters asked her if she had a boyfriend than about her opening partner or footwork. India’s women footballers are asked if they ever get to wear makeup; Mary Kom and Sania Mirza have been asked how they managed to box or play tennis when they have children. Nobody’s asking Tyson Fury or Novak Djokovic about their parenting.
It’s not just offensive. It’s reductive. It tells the world that women’s sport is something you tune into only if there’s something cute or entertaining going on. That women athletes are personalities before professionals. That their emotions, appearance, or downtime are more headline-worthy than their stats.
Men are called warriors. Women? They’re still too often reduced to pretty props.
This is why language matters. It shapes perception. It influences investment. It affects how young girls see their sporting dreams – whether they’re nurtured or laughed at.
When we dismiss women athletes with silly, tone-deaf questions, we’re not just wasting a press conference. We’re telling a whole generation that their ambition is a joke.
So yes, let’s talk tactics, form, fixtures, and football. Let’s talk about what matters.
Because if we don’t treat women’s sport with the respect it deserves, we shouldn’t be surprised when the world doesn’t either.
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