MLS Team Apologizes After JJ Watt Criticizes Omission of Kealia Watt in Social Post

MLS Team Apologizes After JJ Watt Criticizes Omission of Kealia Watt in Social Post
1 min readSportsCulture

The incident highlights ongoing discussions about recognition of female athletes and their achievements in professional sports.

  • JJ Watt publicly criticized Real Salt Lake for not mentioning his wife, Kealia Watt, in a social media post.
  • Kealia Watt is a former USWNT player who grew up near Salt Lake City and won four state titles.
  • JJ Watt shared a list of Kealia Watt’s sporting accolades after the omission.
  • Real Salt Lake issued an apology following JJ Watt's comments.
  • The omission was addressed after JJ Watt's remarks gained attention on social media.

JJ Watt called out Real Salt Lake on social media for omitting his wife, Kealia Watt, a notable local soccer player, from a post. The team later apologized for the oversight.

The event has drawn attention to how female athletes are recognized by sports organizations, raising questions about visibility and acknowledgment of their contributions.

It remains to be seen if Real Salt Lake or other organizations will take further steps to highlight the achievements of local female athletes in future communications.

Confirmed by 2 independent sources