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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Megan Maurice

‘Just a joke’? Gendered commentary on women’s sport is unnecessary and damaging

Matildas forward Michelle Heyman celebrates after scoring against the USA
The Matildas would understand valid critique levelled at them but the issue comes from the fact that Marty Sheargold’s comments were so unnecessarily gendered. Photograph: Mark J Rebilas/USA Today Sports

“It was just a joke.”

How many times have those words been uttered over the years after self-proclaimed “good blokes” slip up and make comments that appear to reveal their real views. By now, many thousands of words have been written about Triple M presenter Marty Sheargold and his “joke that missed the mark” about the Matildas. However, it is the attitudes that this “joke” represent that are most interesting to examine.

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