Fans can now call a special hotline to congratulate the US women's hockey team on their Olympic gold medal victory, with the toll-free number 1-833-SHE-WON1 already receiving hundreds of messages since its Tuesday launch.
Jennifer Bett Communications and Cosmopolitan created the hotline, intending to refocus attention to the squad's Olympic achievement after a different phone call overshadowed the win. On Sunday, President Trump made derisive remarks about the women's team while on a congratulatory phone call with the gold medal-winning men's team. The women's team subsequently declined a White House invitation due to scheduling conflicts.
"This hotline is essentially a giant collective thank-you from fans everywhere," Jennifer Bett Communications founder Jennifer Meyer told Fast Company, as her firm coordinates with USA Hockey's communications department to deliver messages directly to the players.
Many callers are young girls who play hockey, with one caller disclosing that boys in her class make fun of her for playing the sport. "But you guys just rebuilt my confidence on and off the ice," she told the Olympians.
Other callers include boy's hockey players, parents, and sports fans, with Meyer describing the response as "overwhelming, in the best possible way."
Following the aftermath of the White House invitation controversy, the new hotline aims to close the recognition gap for women's sports athletes.
"We refused to let a single moment pass where these women felt their gold was anything less than the biggest story in the country," Meyer said.
The women's hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, with Megan Keller scoring the overtime winner after captain Hilary Knight tied the game late in regulation. It marks the third Olympic gold medal for the US and the first since 2018.
