Woman Finds Herself Accused Of "Emasculating" A Man Because She Beat Him In A Game Of Squash

Winning a casual game should be harmless, but one squash match turned into a bruised ego and a messy accusation. A woman on Reddit said she beat her friend’s husband at a game he was still learning, and his reaction quickly made the whole outing uncomfortable.

She and her husband had invited their friends, Rebecca and Joe, to join them for a relaxed afternoon of squash, and later for an evening dog walk. Joe was new to the sport, but the problem was not the score, it was how he handled losing to a woman who had more experience.

By the time Rebecca accused her of “emasculating” Joe, the situation had gone from friendly competition to full-blown drama. Here’s the full story.

Reddit user u/Forsaken-Treacle-654 asked, "AITA for 'emasculating' a guy by winning against him in a game?"

Flickf / cburypix (not the actual photo)

She explained that she and her husband had invited their friends "Rebecca" and "Joe" to play squash with them.

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

The Redditor played two games against Joe and beat him both times, as she had been playing for much longer than he had.

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

But Joe couldn't handle being beaten by a female.

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

That is where the mood started to shift.

Later that night, our OP and her husband invited Rebecca and Joe to join them on their evening dog walk.

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

Before long, Rebecca turned the blame on our OP and accused her of "emasculating" Joe.

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

So, the Redditor turned to the Reddit community to ask if she was the a**hole here?

Reddit / Forsaken-Treacle-654

Here's how they reacted.

Here's how they reacted.

Reddit / tatasz

"NTA."

Reddit / NihilismIsSparkles

"Toxic AF."

Reddit / Seemoreifsandsorbuts

Plenty of commenters thought Joe was the one overreacting.

Not "emotionally mature enough to handle losing."

Reddit / Sk111W

"Get a grip."

Reddit / SaikaTheCasual

"A walking red flag."

Reddit / GoingPriceForHome

"Is Joe an adult?"

Reddit / GrandpaJoeSloth

"Insecure and abusive."

Reddit / RighteousVengeance

He shouldn't "play games if he can't handle losing."

Reddit / DeerTrivia

Others focused on how quickly the whole thing turned ugly.

It also echoes the dog-park mess where a friend wanted to split the vet bill after a dog fight.

Friend Wants Me to Split Vet Bill After Dog Fight - AITA?

"Pathetic and nasty."

Reddit / bunkbedgirl1989

"Ridiculously fragile."

Reddit / MadamMashmallows

"A major red flag."

Reddit / Creative_Crab_8621

Get a better game plan, Rebecca!

Reddit / HarlesBronson

"They have to win."

Reddit / crbryant1972

"Rebecca needs to run."

Reddit / HCIBSW

"There's nothing manly about being a sore loser."

Reddit / ConcentrateRegular79

"A gross misogynist."

Reddit / Euphoric-Round-5182

"Bad behavior."

Reddit / brencartoons

"Toxic masculinity."

Reddit / lynncross2001

Joe's reaction left Reddit with plenty to say.

What's your take on this? Do you think our OP was in the wrong here, or do you think "Joe" needs to sort out his ego?

It would be interesting to know whether Joe would have been as upset if he had lost to a male, or whether it's purely the fact that a female beat him that triggered his insecurity and bad behavior.

We love to hear from you! You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

Some people really cannot handle a scoreboard.

For more game-night fallout, see what happened when a friend got called out for toxic competitiveness. AITA for confronting my friend's toxic competitiveness at game night?