Adult “toys” fly onto the court amidst a game.

Bets are placed on a female player’s menstrual cycle by spectators.

How much more degrading will it get for female athletes before sports equality finally gets addressed? When will being told “no” mean no for an answer?

These incidents aren’t just isolated — they’re always there. For years, women in sports have had to face scrutiny that male athletes simply don’t have to face as frequently — comments about their appearance, jokes about hormones and harassment both mentally and physically.

One user posted Caitlin Clark’s photos on Reddit, asking fellow Redditors to “rate Caitlin Clark (of Italian descent). I’ll post my opinion in the comment section.”

Then, a slew of comments followed.

“4.5 — no offense, but she looks very masculine,” one commenter said.

“Currently a 5 with the potential 8 if she has her eyebrows shaped properly, better makeup and gets a more flattering haircut. Maybe minor dental work. I’m thinking if she cut about 10 inches from her hair, added layers and soft bags, and then curled, this girl would be pretty hot. Don’t get me wrong, I yearned to have long, shined straight hair when I was younger, but I think it’s holding her back,” another commenter said.

This is the same Caitlin Clark who holds the NCAA Division 1 all-time scoring record for both men and women, several Player of the Year awards, and a WNBA Rookie of the Year honor.

When I first saw that post, I couldn’t help but stare at the remarks in shock. This wasn’t men commenting — no, it was women. What happened to women supporting others? What happened to looking at the play alone? It just shows the impossible expectations of female athletes: be great at your sport and conform to a sexualized standard of beauty. Some men do sexualize and objectify women, but the trend only continues because other women have internalized these ideas and fully perpetuated this cycle of sexism.

Meanwhile, male athletes are judged almost entirely based on their performance. A missed shot, a fumbled play or a fight ingame? That just shows how passionate they are. But a woman? Suddenly, her hair, her makeup, her period is up for bets on public discussion forums. Making these bets on women’s menstrual cycles, appearance and online harassment reduces the definition of a female athlete.

But it’s not just that alone. Imagine if someone were to bet on LeBron’s testosterone games before finals — that would be met with immense hatred and disgust on the public’s end. So why is it okay now for female athletes? The impact that these comments have on younger girls looking up to these athletes shows that being “great” alone isn’t enough.

This shows that now, it’s up to your period to decide your play. To me, the message is that sports aren’t for women the same way they are with men. And online harassment isn’t the only problem at play here.

In stadiums, arenas and professional courts, we are now facing an increasing trend of inappropriate behaviors being displayed on the courts during WNBA games. Fans treat these games more as spectacles instead of actual competitions. As someone who admires WNBA athletes and female athletes in general, they deserve a lot more respect than they’re currently receiving right now. Respect has to start somewhere, and that needs to start with the fans, with Angel Reese as a prime example of this.

She started a foundation to ensure equal opportunities for all girls in sports, education, financial literacy and more. This shows how she persevered despite all the comments made to her, as seen here.

We can’t cheer for women on the court while making jokes about their capabilities.

We can’t cheer men on for their athleticism while reducing female athletes to just beauty.

We need to make a bigger change.

Let’s also remember how much effort and work these women put themselves through: running drills, working complex plays, performing under immense pressure. I’d like to see one of those “blood betters” play at the same level those athletes play at.

What really matters isn’t her hair, her period or her makeup — it’s her game.

And it’s time for people to start realizing that women’s sports deserve respect.