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Baseball Commentator Faces Correction Recommendation for Blaming Player's Wife

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A baseball commentator's remarks blaming a player's poor performance on his wife has drawn criticism and is expected to receive a 'recommendation for correction' from the Broadcasting Media Communications Review Committee.
  • The commentator suggested the wife's care could impact the player's home game performance, implying marital issues could be a factor.
  • The committee largely agreed the comments perpetuated gender stereotypes and were inappropriate for a sports broadcast, though one member dissented, viewing it as personal experience sharing.

A sports broadcast commentator's remarks attributing a baseball player's underperformance to his wife's alleged lack of care is facing scrutiny and is likely to receive a formal recommendation for correction from the Broadcasting Media Communications Review Committee. The incident occurred during the broadcast of a KBO League game between the NC Dinos and the Lotte Giants on July 29 last year.

If his wife doesn't take good care of him, his performance at home is bound to suffer.

— Lee Soon-chulSBS Sports commentator Lee Soon-chul suggested a link between a player's home performance and his wife's care.

During the eighth inning, commentator Lee Soon-chul of SBS Sports suggested that a pitcher's struggles at home could be linked to his wife's domestic care. He stated, "If his wife doesn't take good care of him, his performance at home is bound to suffer," and added, "If his wife is like that at home, he should think about it once." Lee further implied, "If his performance at home doesn't improve and gets worse, the blame might fall on his wife."

If his wife is like that at home, he should think about it once.

— Lee Soon-chulLee Soon-chul implied marital issues could affect a player's performance.

A complaint was filed, arguing that blaming a player's performance on his wife constitutes gender-based discrimination and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. At a review subcommittee meeting on June 9, four out of five committee members leaned towards issuing a "recommendation for correction," a form of administrative guidance. Member Hong Mi-ae expressed strong agreement with the complaint, calling the comments "more serious" due to the attack on the wife.

If his performance at home doesn't improve and gets worse, the blame might fall on his wife.

— Lee Soon-chulThe commentator further suggested that a player's wife could be blamed for poor home performance.

Other members echoed concerns about gender role stereotypes. Kim Min-jung questioned the necessity of such remarks in a baseball commentary, while Kim Woo-seok acknowledged that while such sentiments might be commonly expressed, their appropriateness on broadcast is questionable. Kim Il-gon also concurred with the sentiment. However, committee member Cho Seung-ho dissented, viewing the comments as the commentator sharing personal experiences based on his background as a former player, rather than a deliberate attempt to discriminate.

I fully agree with the complainant's point, and it is a more serious problem in that the wife was attacked.

— Hong Mi-aeCommittee member Hong Mi-ae supported the complaint, highlighting the personal attack aspect.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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