“‘Where Have the Men Gone?’: Australian Olympic Champion Cate Campbell Calls Out After Melbourne Radio Controversy”

Cate Campbell, an Australian Olympic champion, believes the dismissal of disgraced radio personality Marty Sheargold on Wednesday should establish a new standard for the representation of women’s sports in Australian media.

Sheargold abruptly left Triple M on Wednesday evening, approximately 10 hours after Wide World of Sports sought the station’s remarks regarding a troubling tirade delivered during Monday’s prime-time broadcast.

Following two defeats at the SheBelieves Cup, Sheargold berated the Matildas and sarcastically inquired, “got any men’s sport?” during a segment that listeners deemed “horrendous” and “outrageously disgusting.”

It has since emerged that he also dismissed endometriosis as “made up,” prompting laughter from his fellow co-hosts.

This incident was highlighted by Hockeyroos player Rosie Malone, who shared an audio clip on her TikTok account on Tuesday, which subsequently spread across various social media platforms.

On Thursday, Campbell spoke with Nine’s Today programme, expressing disappointment that a woman had to call Sheargold out for his remarks.

“Women have been striving for equality in sport for generations,” Campbell stated.

“I must emphasise that Australia recently celebrated our most successful Olympic Games, and of the 18 gold medals we secured, 13 were earned by women. Let me reiterate that.

“This significant achievement highlights that a substantial portion of Australia’s success on the global sporting stage is attributable to women. Yet, these athletes remain underpaid, underrepresented and often misrepresented in the media, despite being the ones truly carrying the weight at international competitions.

“We deserve more respect. We need further acknowledgment. I feel strongly that such comments are completely unacceptable.

“And my question is: where are the men? There were two other men present in the studio while Marty was making these remarks… However, it took a woman, Rosie Malone—an Olympian herself—to bring these comments to light.

“Why is it women who are highlighting the poor behaviour of men, rather than men stepping up? We’re not interested in becoming the ones to say, ‘oh, you can’t take a joke, just stop it. That’s not alright’.

This dynamic transforms someone like Marty Sheargold into a poster child for men everywhere, suggesting that women are oppressing him.

“We need men to rise, to voice their dissent against this behaviour, and to hold individuals accountable.

“This is unacceptable. It is inappropriate to discuss female athletes—and women in general—in this manner.”

Another Australian Olympic great, Leisel Jones, who is also associated with Triple M, became emotional during Wednesday’s show while addressing the situation.

Campbell is hopeful that the Sheargold affair will prompt a shift in the attitudes of Australian media.

“We now comprehend that this conduct is entirely intolerable. This marks a pivotal moment in Australian media,” she asserted.

“Termination of a contract due to overt misogyny—there’s no other way to label it. Don’t disguise it with humour. Comedy has long been used to belittle women and perpetuate misogyny.

“This is a form of gaslighting for women everywhere, and we’ve reached our limit.

“At last, we have a media organisation taking a stance and declaring, ‘this is not acceptable. You are demeaning women, undermining women’s sports.’

“One of our most cherished sporting teams deserves better. Women deserve better. Female athletes across Australia deserve better. Thankfully, we are waking up in a world that will hopefully learn from this and treat us with the respect we deserve in the future.”

The Matildas are set to face Colombia in their next SheBelieves Cup match on Thursday.