If there was an Olympic medal for securing the record for politically correct revenge, then it has been awarded at the 2024 Olympics. Commentator for Eurosport Bob Ballard has been sacked from the broadcaster. After the Australian women’s swim team secured a gold medal in the 4×100 race, the female swimmers were celebrating by the pool when Ballard remarked, “Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up,” Ballards co-commentator Lizzie Symmonds replied that Ballard’s remark was ‘outrageous’. Ballard later received criticism across social media and was removed by Eurosport’s on air commentary team.
During the segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” Eurosport said in a statement.
“To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
Ballard’s comment was an innocent piece of humor. Perhaps it was not the best moment to make the remarks. However, Ballard forgot that certain cultural crosshairs would prevent the comment from being taken as light hearted humor. Although Ballard has been castigated for ‘sexism’, the politically correct police are blind to another reality, stereotyping on the basis of sex is something that men and women do all of the time. Should Ballard have made the remark on air? I am not sure. But he did, and it was clearly a piece of light hearted humor pointing to the fact that the Australian swimmers were ‘hanging around and doing their makeup’.
Why have Ballard’s comments caused so much offense? Why does officialdom herald the necessity to observe an awkward silence about some of the obvious differences between men and women?
Ballard’s remarks were light hearted humor and whether it was ill advised or not, he did not deserve to be taken off air, nor did he deserve the backlash that occurred afterwards.
I hate to break it to you, but women like putting makeup on. Now, there is nothing wrong with this. When Ballard made the remark, there was no ill intent or malice, it was an off the cuff on-air remark that got him into deep water. The question is whether that was an appropriate moment to make such a comment. Lets say it it wasn’t, is the backlash justified? No its not. The sporting world has become too sensitive and cannot wait to chastise any male figure who steps out of the bounds of the politically correct monster it has created.
Ballard has been commentating for over 40 years and now this one remark defines the entirety of his commentating career.
Is Ballard ‘disgusting’ or has the sporting world become too fragile?
