Sexism in sports commentary: Rio 2016 edition

While women athletes deserve nothing but praise for their performances at the Rio 2106 Olympic Games, some of the commentators do not. Unless your want to praise them for their capacity to deliver back-handed compliments.

Throughout the Olympics, commentators have undermined the accomplishments of female athletes by referencing their male coaches or partners in the same breath. The Toronto Star gave Canadian Olympic star, Penny Oleksiak, the so-cute-it-kinda-makes-you-want-to-puke nickname: Pretty Penny.

Topping that, the Chicago Tribune referred to U.S. medalist, Corey Cogdell-Unrein, as "Wife of a Bears' lineman" in a tweet. You know how the old saying goes: Behind every great female athlete, is a great big man. Wait. Maybe we have that wrong.

It's like you don't have a name anymore. It's archaic, its has no place in today's world.- Leslie Seiler

According to a recent study by Cambridge University Press, words commonly used to describe women Olympic athletes include: "aged", "pregnant" and "married", while their male counterparts are described as "strong", "big" and "great". In the wake of all this questionable commentary, we turned to our panel to ask why Olympic coverage can't seem to keep up with its stellar female competitors.

Hear what our Because News panel has to say about the media's portrayal of female athletes.