Marty Sheargold’s attitude about The Matildas is why girls quit sport
Sure, jokes are jokes - but the broader impact of Marty Sheargold’s recent on-air comments about the Matildas is no laughing matter.
Sarah Greenaway is the founder and CEO of Eltee Sydney, a company that makes functional periodwear for young sportswomen. She explains how thoughtless comments like those from Sheargold can lead to lasting, generational damage.
Marty Sheargold’s recent comments on the Matildas have sparked some serious reflection about the narrative we create around women’s sport.
While humour is subjective and everyone is entitled to their opinion, we need to recognise when “jokes” cross the line into harmful stereotypes. Comparing the Matildas—a team of highly skilled, hardworking professional athletes—to squabbling teenagers not only dismisses their professionalism but also reinforces the outdated trope that women’s sports don’t deserve the same respect as men’s.
It’s disheartening because we’ve come so far in celebrating women in sport, yet comments like these remind us how fragile that progress can be. “Language matters,” I’ve often told my daughters. Whether you’re on the field or in a boardroom, what people say has power. When public figures choose language that belittles and undermines, it fuels the attitude that women’s sport is somehow laughable or less important.
Melissa Noonan, who runs a brand dedicated to young female soccer enthusiasts, expressed her disappointment clearly: “We need to be building up this generation of girls, not tearing down their role models. It’s time for everyone—commentators, brands, fans—to be part of creating an environment that encourages participation and celebrates achievement.”
As Georgie Trickett of Play On Australia explains, “Girls are already overrepresented in stats when it comes to the dropout rate in kids’ sports. We know that 57% of kids who stop playing sport around the age of 13/14 are girls, and it’s enough to have to deal with competitiveness, pressure to perform, periods, and uniforms, without commentators suggesting that women’s sport is subpar.”
I’ve seen the stats laid bare in my work as the CEO of a brand dedicated to supporting active women and girls.
From poor facilities, to lack of funding for equipment and coaching, the barriers girls face in sport are greater than those for boys. The Women’s Sports Foundation identifies the “decreased quality of experience,” which encompasses everything from unequal access to facilities and equipment to a lack of qualified coaches, as one of the primary culprits for why so many girls abandon their sporting dreams.
And, the sad truth is that comments like Sheargold’s exacerbate this problem.
Noonan also highlighted the broader impact of such remarks: “Young girls look up to these athletes as role models,” she told me. “When their performances are belittled, it sends a message to these young fans that their efforts in sport—or any area of life—can easily be dismissed. It creates a fear of judgment that can ultimately drive girls away from playing.”
As Georgie Trickett points out, Sheargold’s comments “couldn’t be further from [the truth]. Women’s sports fans spend $4 billion, annually, on merchandise; female athletes have the greatest potential to influence their followers; female leagues are selling out stadiums; and broadcast audiences are growing stronger.
“Women’s sport deserves more respect, and we owe it to girls to make sure that happens.”
It’s not just one patronising remark—it’s part of a larger culture that chips away at confidence. If girls believe their efforts will be dismissed before they even step on the field, why would they stay?
Far too often, women’s achievements in sport are framed as either a novelty or a joke. That attitude filters down to younger generations, shaping how they view their place in a space that, historically, wasn’t built for them to thrive.
But this isn’t just about sport—it’s about life.
When we take sport away from girls, we strip them of opportunities to develop invaluable life skills. Teamwork. Resilience. Leadership. Perseverance. These aren’t just lessons learned on a field—they’re skills girls carry into the workplace and beyond, creating a ripple effect that empowers them to break barriers in adulthood.
The mighty Avoca Sharks, featuring Greenaway’s daughter, Poppy.
Libby Trickett, of Play On Australia, says it best. “In 2025, we should be celebrating the achievements of our brilliant female athletes and giving girls something to aspire to, rather than making them the butt of a joke. It’s old, it’s tiring, and everyone can do better than this.”
Yes, critique a team’s performance. Yes, engage in analysis of their tactics. But, using degrading comparisons and language that undermines someone’s work ethic? That’s not just an opinion—it’s a societal step backward. And we can do better. We must do better.
For me, raising two daughters is a daily reminder that representation matters. I want them to know their contributions — whether in sports, business, or life — are valid and meaningful. That’s why I’m calling on anyone with a platform to think about the narrative they’re feeding into.
It’s not about stifling opinions—it’s about wielding influence responsibly. We need to build an environment where young girls don’t feel they have to justify their worth just to step on a field.
With greater investment, encouragement, and respect, we can rewrite the story for the generations that follow.
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Oh please. Grow a spine. It was comedy. And he’s not wrong. The entertainment value of Matildas is hardly worth wasting good money on. People are asking men to lie. You are asking us to place the same value on your competition although it bores the pants off us. Your asking men to set aside their long time experiences , joys and adrenalin that comes from male sport and somehow, manufacture the same enthusiasm for the girls game. It’s never going to happen. That’s just life. You might as well ask us to stop seeing that girl who is amazing in bed and go back to an ex that was a disappointment.
There are a lot of reasons women and boys quit sport. This simplistic narrative is devisive and serves no purpose.
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Marty sheargold was the best thing in Australia, it was a joke that the woke got him cancelled. no one cares about women’s sports
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Women say that about men’s sport all the time. It’s pathetic ,I’m with Marty Sheergold
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Granted – maybe we could also address the unfettered misandry by female commentators in the media about male teams . I would have thought equality goes both ways . Language counts and demeaning male athletes diminishes boys in sport .
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What hides in the bathroom and goes “Thump, Thump, Scream ?”
Marty Sheargold doing his nails.
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