World News @lemmy.world girlfreddy @lemmy.ca 3mo ago

Bob Ballard: Olympics commentator axed over sexist remark

www.bbc.com Bob Ballard: Olympics commentator axed over sexist remark

Bob Ballard was referencing the Australian women's swimming team who had won gold in a freestyle relay.

A veteran sports commentator has been sacked from his Olympics role after making a sexist remark about Australian female swimmers following their gold medal win.

As the 4x100m freestyle relay team were making their way off the pool deck in Paris, Bob Ballard said they were "finishing up", adding "you know what women are like... hanging around, doing their make up".

The clip quickly went viral and broadcaster Eurosport later said he had been removed from the commentary line-up.

Ballard has yet to comment publicly on his remarks.

26 comments

Good! Now ban the rapist Dutch volleyball player!
Man, not even a GOOD sexist comment!

I mean, if you're going to flame out your career, go big... "She may have come in 3rd, but look at that ass though!"
- I mean, they're swimmers, do they have asses? Those abs though...
  
  No chest and often no butt. It's kind of a specific body type that's suited to swimming.
This guy is out for being a dick but it's fine to have an olympic rapist. I don't get it.
- Speaking of behalf of many of us in the Netherlands, yeah – we don’t get it either.
  
  IMHO, should never have been allowed on the team.
- Do you think all these people work for Mr Olympic or something? What don't you get?
  
  I don't get society. It seems to me that if respecting women and girls was actually something people cared about then the rapist would be gone. Instead we get this virtue signalling. They'll put a rapist on the stage and cheer for him but one sexist remark and you're off. It's just lies.
Yesterday during women’s volleyball (Czech Republic vs USA) an American announcer said “Czechoslov……. Czechia..” I haven’t heard anyone upset about it yet, but I was expecting to.

Definitely less offensive than being chatty about “ladies and their silly lady habits lololol!”
- Why would someone get upset about that? Is it not Czechia now?
  
  I don't know whether this is a joke or not (Poe's law and all), so I will assume this is a genuine question:
  
  Because they were about to say Czechoslovakia, I'd assume. The country that hasn't existed anymore for a long time.
  
  edit: grammar fix
  
  I can't speak for them (too well), but imagine that up until 30 years ago the US was one country with Canada under the name of... I don't know, the United Canastates, and as you're watching your favourite olympic sport rooting for your favourite player, someone introduces them as someone from the United Cana... Can... United States.
  
  To be fair, even after typing this out I wouldn't be outraged, just slightly irked, but we're all different.
- What's upsetting about that? When things change names but you are used to calling it the old name, it's normal to say the old one instead of the new one. He even corrected himself before finishing the old one lol.
- This reminds me of the time someone asked me at this restaurant about where the Soviets were. It took me a good 2 seconds of processing to realise they were talking about serviettes.
Is this the same Bob Ballard that found the Titanic and the Bismark?
- No that Bob is quite a bit older and hasn't got into sports broadcasting, at least not the last time I checked... ;)
  
  Iirc I think he was the one who reported on finding a bismark on the Titanic.
what a chode.

26 comments