Corey Cogdell-Unrein, the wife of Chicago Bears lineman Mitch Unrein, took home bragging rights in women’s trap shooting Sunday, as part of the 2016 Rio Olympics. But, in the wake of victory, the Chicago Tribune had less than flattering coverage.
Cogdell-Unrein faced off against Spain’s Fatima Galvez as part of the summer Olympic competitions heating up Rio. The two finished the 15-target round with 13 each, prompting the need for a tiebreaker. In the shoot-off, Cogdell-Unrein won, claiming her second bronze medal.
“Wife of a Bears lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics,” the newspaper’s tweet read.
A slew of people took to Twitter scrutinizing the Chicago Tribune for putting Cogdell-Unrein’s marital status and husband’s job before her own accomplishments.
Wife of a Bears' lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics https://t.co/kwZoGY0xAX pic.twitter.com/VZrjOvr80h
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 7, 2016
While the problem is the Tweet failed to identify the Olympian by name, the headline that accompanies the article doesn’t rest well among a number of people, either.
https://twitter.com/h0ldmedown/status/762593888414621696
The fact is the Chicago Bears media team did a better job of identifying Corey Cogdell Unrein as her own person than the Chicago Tribune did
— Will McAvoy (@WillMcAvoyACN) August 7, 2016
Either "being a wife" is now an Olympic sport, or Tribune should tweet Corey Cogdell-Unrein is a shooting medallist https://t.co/K3WXkf3F9A
— Kaya Burgess (@kayaburgess) August 7, 2016
God forbid you use her name for what SHE achieved. Corey Cogdell-Unrein. No excuse for that disrespect. #sexism https://t.co/TCYm14Ehvm
— Laura Jo Crabtree (@laurajocrabtree) August 8, 2016
Her name is Corey Cogdell-Unrein, not "wife of…." — and she just won her 2nd bronze medal. Welcome to 2016. https://t.co/AlKIXMLpiv
— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) August 8, 2016
The Chicago Tribune appears to have recognized their faults, reposting a Tweet that directly addresses the Olympian by name.
Corey Cogdell-Unrein won the bronze medal in women's trap shooting. It's her second Olympic bronze. https://t.co/wHJXs87hkN
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 7, 2016
“Corey Cogdell-Unrein won the bronze medal in women’s trap shooting,” the Tweet read. “It’s her second Olympic bronze.”
In an apology, the Chicago Tribune then took action to rectify the backlash drawn to the first Tweet.
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 8, 2016
“On Sunday, in an initial Tweet and headline, we identified three-time U.S. Olympian Corey Cogdell-Unrein only as the ‘wife of a Bears lineman,’” they wrote. “She’s awesome on her own. We focused too hard on trying to emphasize the local connection Cogdell-Unrein has to Chicago.”
Cogdell-Unrein, of Eagle River, Alaska, won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, she placed 11th in London.
Corey’s husband, Unrein, a defensive end in his second season with the Bears, was unable to get away from training camp to join her in Rio.
“It was really tough (not being in Rio),” he told the Tribune, “especially when I saw her in that last shoot-off in the bronze-medal match when she hit the bird and then the other girl came up and missed. That’s when it hit me, and I was like, ‘Maaaan! I’m not there.’ It was tough for me. I get a little emotional and stuff (similar to Emma earlier). It was so cool to see all the hard work pay off for her.”
At Saturday night’s Bears Family Fest at Soldier Field, many of the Bears wore “Team Unrein” T-shirts that also showed the Olympic flag.
Cogdell-Unrein and Unrein, who met on a blind date the day before Super Bowl XLV in 2011, often enjoy hunting together, but football generally prevents Unrein from joining his wife in her pursuit of elk and deer. The couple will typically arrange waterfowl hunting trips during the bye week each season.
“He was super excited” when the talked Sunday after winning her bronze, she told the Tribune. “He has been there every step of the way the last six years. We both support each others’ athletic careers.”
The Bears kickoff the season on Sept. 11 at Houston, and Cogdell-Unrein said she will be there.
Unfortunately, the Chicago-based media outlet’s Olympic coverage is not alone in its poor reporting of the internationally-recognized sporting event.
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