Former sports broadcaster Keith Olbermann, left, heaped scorn on the USA men’s hockey team for accepting President Donald Trump’s invitation. (Jean Catuffe / Getty Images; Brad Barket / Getty Images)
By Joe Saunders February 24, 2026 at 10:34am
Leave it to Keith Olbermann to try to pour cold water on ice hockey gold.
The former ESPN and MSNBC host, who has made left-wing politics his full-time job, went on a social media rant Monday in the afterglow of the U.S. men’s hockey team winning the Olympic gold medal Sunday.
But the social media reaction was scorching.
Olbermann was reacting to news that at least some of the men’s hockey team had accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address at the Capitol.
The U.S. women’s hockey team, which won the gold medal Thursday, turned down Trump’s invitation Monday, citing “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games.”
“They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment,” a team representative said.
That might sound polite enough to most people. But to Olbermann, it apparently represented a flaming middle finger flung right at Trump and the Trump White House.
And the fact that the men’s hockey team declined to follow suit is just evidence, as Olbermann sees it, of rampant misogyny among the men’s team.
It’s official: US Gold Winning Olympic Hockey team declined invitation to be political props for Trump at the SOTU tomorrow
The women, that is
The men are still too stupid, self-absorbed and misogynistic to realize that going, will stick to them permanently
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2026
“It’s official: US Gold Winning Olympic Hockey team declined invitation to be political props for Trump at the SOTU tomorrow,” Olbermann wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
“The women, that is.
“The men are still too stupid, self-absorbed and misogynistic to realize that going, will stick to them permanently.”
In another post, Olbermann called the men’s team “self-absorbed scumbag misogynists.”
The women’s team is made up of patriots. The men’s team? Self-absorbed scumbag misogynists
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2026
As the reaction comments showed, the posts weren’t popular.
Here’s a fair sampling:
They won you gold and restored national pride in that sport AND you complain?
— Zara (@ZaraD_00) February 23, 2026
Something tells me that the men on that team could not care less what you think and probably don’t have any idea about the soy boy (you) that doesn’t think they should go.
— Rusty C (@Hud43168922) February 24, 2026
Or perhaps the women’s team has made a mistake? To honor America – and be honored by Americans – in that setting is an opportunity of a lifetime. Shouldn’t be about gender or even politics. It’s about celebrating America – and exceptional American achievements.
— Bowe (@BoweRHoy) February 23, 2026
The State of the Union is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Look for Trump’s introduction of the team and the standing ovation that’s likely to come — from both sides of the political aisle.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn’t need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American
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