‘Two other men’: Cate Campbell slams Marty Sheargold cop out as Olympic great calls out wider problem

Olympic legend Cate Campbell has not held back, lashing Marty Sheargold while calling out a wider issue in his anti-women’s sport rant.

Australian Olympic legend Cate Campbell has torched axed Triple M radio host Marty Sheargold for his misogynistic on-air rant while calling out a wider issue across Australian media in regards to women’s sport.

Sheargold was suddenly pulled from the network on Wednesday on the back of live on-air remarks on Monday when he said the Matildas reminded him of “year 10 girls”.

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He also added that he would “rather hammer a nail” through his penis than tune into the Asian Cup, before asking if there was any “men’s sport” the presenters could discuss instead.

The incident was brought to the public’s attention by Hockeyroos player Rosie Malone, who posted an audio clip to her TikTok account on Tuesday.

In the same episode of the Marty Sheargold Show on Monday he also proclaimed “endometriosis … it’s made up”, to which his fellow hosts laughed.

The station and Sheargold released a statement late on Wednesday confirming he is leaving Triple M, effective immediately.

“Women have been fighting for generations to be seen as equals in sport,” Campbell told the Today show on Thursday morning.

Pictured Cate Campbell left and Marty Sheargold right. Image: Nine/Supplied

“Can I just say that Australia had our most successful Olympic Games in Paris 2024 … We won 18 gold medals, 13 of them were won by women. Let me just say that again.

“It is a huge proportion of Australia’s global sporting success that comes off the back of women. These women are underpaid. They’re under-represented, they’re undervalued, they’re misrepresented in the media all the time, and yet they are the ones who are often doing the heavy lifting on the world stage.

“We deserve better. We need more recognition. I feel really, really strongly that these comments are unacceptable.”

Campbell also pointed out that the two other men in the studio appear to have escaped sanction or at least public scrutiny for laughing along with the joke, describing their actions as a cop out.

She said it pointed to a wider issue in Australian media’s coverage of female sport.

“And my question here is where are the men? There were two other men in that studio while Marty was making those comments (who didn’t say anything to stop him)… However, it took a woman, it took Rosie Malone, an Olympian in her own right, to call these comments out,” Campbell continued.

Cate Campbell is one of Australia’s most decorated swimmers. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Marty Sheargold and Triple M parted ways on Wednesday amid the controversy. Picture: Supplied/Triple M

“Why is it women who are calling out the poor behaviour of men and not men stepping up?

“We don’t want to be in this trope. We don’t want to be the people who are saying, ‘Oh, you can’t take a joke, stop it. That’s not acceptable.

“That turns people like Marty Sheargold into a martyr for men everywhere, because they’re saying women are putting him down.

“We need the men to stand up, to speak out against this, to hold these people accountable.

“This isn’t acceptable. This is unacceptable to be talking about female athletes this way. And women more broadly.”

Mel McLaughlin pictured. Picture:NewsWire/ Monique Harmer

Campbell’s comments come after well-respected sports presenter Mel McLaughlin voiced her anger and disappointment at the comedian’s comments on Wednesday evening.

“Just a word on the bizarre, pathetic, and embarrassing comments we heard earlier regarding our mighty Matildas,” McLaughlin said on Seven.

“They obviously do not represent how any of us feel, and hopefully all the girls and boys out there know that. Record World Cup numbers and ongoing sold-out stadiums continue to speak volumes.

“This is by no means a backward step on how far we’ve come and women’s football, and women’s sport in general, as we know guys, is awesome.”

The Matildas take on Colombia in their third SheBelieves Cup game on Thursday.

Originally published as ‘Two other men’: Cate Campbell slams Marty Sheargold cop out as Olympic great calls out wider problem