No, we're not overreacting.

As the dust settles on Marty Sheargold's departure from Triple M, after a tidal wave of criticism was sent his way off the back of some truly gross comments about the Matildas, we're still fuming.

Because the reaction is just as infuriating as the comments themselves.

To refresh; during a prime-time afternoon slot on Monday, Sheargold said this on national radio, in reference to our national women's soccer team being mentioned in a news update:

"You know what they remind me of? Year 10 girls….All the infighting and all the friendship issues, 'The coach hates me and I hate bloody training and Michelle's being a bitch'. I'm sorry to undermine the whole sport, but that's what I think of it, so you can stick it up your arse."

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"So, we're playing in the SheBelieves Cup..." co-host, Will Ralston, responds, attempting to continue the news report.

"Oh She Believes — in what?" Sheargold chortles. "It better be men!?"

Ralston tries to go on again, referencing the upcoming Asian Cup.

"Oh God, the Asian Cup…" Sheargold scoffs.

"I'd rather hammer a nail through the head of my penis than watch that.

"Got any men's sport?" he bellows.

The criticism was swift, and despite an attempt at an apology (which wasn't really an apology), by late Wednesday Triple M had announced Sheargold was leaving the station, effective immediately.

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There's no excusing what Sheargold said, but it's the laughter of others that's a harder pill to swallow.

The rhetoric that Sheargold was just "joking" and that those of us upset or angry at the comments are "over-reacting," or that his firing is "wokeness gone mad".

Go into the comments section of any article, TikTok or post on this story, and you'll see this kind of reaction.

Listen to the water-cooler conversation in your workplace.

Even the laughter in the studio — from men — as Sheargold delivered his 'joke' on live radio.

There is a large proportion of people out there in Australia, who still think this kind of sexist nonsense is 'funny.' How depressing is that?

As The Project co-host Georgie Tunny said on Wednesday night's show, "I am so sick and tired of this kind of language. I'm so sick and tired of this vitriol. I'm so sick and tired of this 'sense of humour.'

Watch: Georgie's commentary. Post continues below.

"There will be people out there who will think he's been hard done by with this. Who laughed along with what he said and to them I say get a new sense of humour.

"Because if you are understanding and accepting the premise of his comments as 'humour' or 'funny' then you are also accepting then, that women's sport is the butt of the joke again and again and again."

Here, here, Georgie.

Now don't mince our words — we're not saying the Matildas can't be criticised. They're not performing that well right now; and that's something that's well and truly on the table for commentary.

But there's a difference between criticism and disrespect. Gender should not even be a part of the story.

Sheargold's commentary was not only dripping in misogyny, it completely disregarded the Matildas' success and their standing as our national team.

Let's not forget, their semi-final match in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the most-watched TV program in Australia since the current rating system began in 2001.

Their quarter-final against France was watched by 5.6 million people.

They've packed out stadiums, and contributed to an economic boost of over $200-million for Australia.

And yet, it's 'funny' to call them Year 10 girls with 'friendship issues'?

Listen to The Quicky discuss the state of women's sport in 2025. Post continues below.

That's not to mention how damaging it is for young girls to hear that, especially when we know that's the exact age — around 15-17 — that we see a significant drop-off in girl's participation in sport.

Because for little girls sitting in their parents' car on the way home from practice on Monday night, those comments have already done the damage. The message has settled in their bones loud and clear — girl's sport is funny. Silly. Laughable.

And the little boys? Well, Sheargold gave them ammo to use during their next P.E lesson. To laugh at the girls. To call their interest in soccer, and football, and cricket, 'silly.'

What's so frustrating is, it's just simply not true. Yes, women's sport still isn't getting the funding it needs in certain sports. Funding to be able to prepare teams to the same standard as the men's sides. Female athletes are often juggling day jobs, while their male counterparts are athletes full-time. But despite all of that, women's sport is thriving.

Women won 13 of the 18 gold medals at our most recent Olympic Games in Paris.

The Australian Open women's tennis final earlier this year was watched by 2.38 million people. (1.73 million watched the men by way of comparison.)

The Matildas' 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup performance was the most-watched TV program in Australia since the current rating system began. Image: AAP.

But that one on-air "joke" and the thousands who agree with it? Yeah, those young girls are going to internalise that over any fancy stat.

Especially when they can go into any comment section and see the avalanche of people who agree with that opinion. Who tell anyone who calls it out to "lighten up" or to stop "clutching our pearls," (both of which are comments I found from regular Aussies, while trawling social media).

It's even more infuriating when you realise the personalities we're seeing calling him out on public platforms are mostly women.

"My question here is where are the men? There were two other men in that studio while Marty was making those comments... However, it took a woman, it took Rosie Malone, an Olympian in her own right, to call these comments out," Australian Olympian Cate Campbell told the Today Show on Thursday.

"Why is it women who are calling out the poor behaviour of men and not men stepping up?" she added.

So no, we're not over-reacting. We're reacting. We're calling out an outdated, sexist and quite-frankly tired trope.

Joking about women's sport isn't just gross and lazy — we live in a world where women are still fighting for equality. We're still being told to 'smile more' and react less. To 'get back to the kitchen' and 'know our place.'

We refuse to let little girls grow up thinking that's the standard we accept. That laughing at women's sport is okay.

Sheargold is welcome to spew that rhetoric at the pub amongst mates if he must, but we will not and should not accept it being spewed into the ears of thousands on commercial radio.

That behaviour has no place in 2025. We're not over-reacting.

Feature image: @martysheargoldshow/AAP/Dan Himbrechts.