08/05/2024
"Aw, look how they hold hands when they go to the other side of the net?" my teenage daughter said. "I'm loving the women supporting women vibe of this Olympics!"
And as I watched Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, the United States' best beach volleyball pair, interlock their fingers as they walked to their bench, I totally got what my daughter was saying because beautiful moments like these are happening like rapid fire right now.
It's Allyson Felix launching a first-of-its-kind nursery for athlete mothers at the Olympics, and marathon runner Aliphine Tuliamuk and judoka Clarisse Agbégnénou advocating for breastfeeding space.
It's watching U.S. women's soccer coach Emma Hayes walking with her arm around Japan's Maika after a hard-fought loss.
It's Suni Lee and Simone Biles cheering on Brazil's Rebeca Andrade during the all-around, knowing what the three of them have overcome in the last few years.
It's rugby player Ilona Maher inspiring young girls to love their bodies no matter what the size.
It’s Katie Ledecky sharing the podium with her teammate Paige Madden.
It's South Korea's shooting Silver medalist and maybe the coolest person at the Olympics Ye-ji Kim carrying around a stuffed elephant that her daughter gave her.
It's Sha'Carri Richardson walking over to Julien Alfred after losing the 100m race and giving her a hug, then gleefully celebrating her Silver medal along with her teammate who won Bronze..
Millions of women seeing women supporting women. It is so powerful. It spreads like wildfire.
It's Adele stopping a concert to watch the women's 100m race last night.
It's Shannon Miller jumping for joy when Simone Biles broke her medal record.
It's Michele Kang contributing to lesser-known sports and women's teams, and the first stadium built for women’s sports in KC. (And shout out to Flavor Flav for helping out the women's water polo team because he's a "girl dad.")
When we see women supporting women instead of cutting them down, it's when the game changes, it's when we can meet our potential, and it's when we become unstoppable forces in this world.
Sports has always had a direct effect on society on multiple levels, from supporting vulnerable and marginal groups and rallying a nation in transition to building confidence and creating opportunities for youth.
We are living change right now, and dang, girls! You are killing it!
Even if you are not a sports fan, there is something electric about what's happening right now. Use it as a spark to engage with your daughters and with your sons.
And when you have an opportunity to lift a girl up, take it. There is enough success for all of us.
So, when I saw those two teammates walking hand in hand back onto that sandy court, I felt the vibe that my daughter was talking about.
And I want to see more of it, too.
Love hard. It's the only thing that matters.
Whitney Fleming Writes
