Australian hockey forward Georgie Parker says the Hockeyroos are sick of being constantly mistaken for men by the media.
We can see why. It’s not like our women’s team aren’t impressive in their own right, as Commonwealth Games gold medalists who are ranked second in the world. Getting their identity correct shouldn’t be a big ask, should it?
The hockey star has posted a passionate Facebook status calling out the media for confusing her team with the men’s team, the Kookaburras. She’s even provided them with a ‘cheat sheet’, to avoid any further mistakes in the future.
“Hey journos, get it right,” her post began.
“You seem to need all the help you can get so Hockey Australia have put together a little cheat sheet for you.”
“But jokes aside, it’s pretty annoying,” she continued.
The 27-year-old pointed out that the media mistook the Kookaburras for the Hockeyroos when the men’s team won the World Cup in 2014. She says that while they tried to give them “grace,” the media then said “Jamie Dwyer (5 times world player of the year) was the best Hockeyroo of all time.”
It probably doesn’t feel too good to hear that the best person on your team is not, in fact, on your team.
“We politely told sunrise the world number 1 Kookaburras team were visiting some tourist sites in Rio not the Hockeyroos,” she wrote, before saying, “but, we’re kinda getting sick of it.”
“We deserve the basic respect for you to do your job correctly, and to be recognised as the teams and athletes we are.”
Parker’s post has been liked over 1000 times and shared over 100 times since it was shared on Thursday night.
One commentator tried to argue that it was an "easy mistake," reasoning that "Hockeyroos sounds very much the same naming convention as the men's Socceroos."
But Parker didn't back down.
"I don't follow rugby whatsoever but know the difference between the Wallabies and the Kangaroos," she wrote.
"Heck, I watch waterpolo once every four years but still know they are the Stingers and the Sharks." Post continues after gallery.
Australian women to look out for at the Rio Olympics.
Indeed, Georgie Parker and her teammates are phenomenal in their own right, and deserve to be acknowledged accurately for their achievements.
On Friday, the Hockeyroos won 1-0 against Argentina, placing them in the Olympic quarter-final.
Featured image via Twitter: Georgie Parker.
Top Comments
Ah sunrise and channel 7 of course it is them, I wouldn't expect any less.
Just to be a stickler, it's more a case of the men being called the women than the other way around.
But I agree, get it right