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A writer from the LA Times has apologized to the LSU women’s basketball team after landing public criticism from head coach Kim Mulkey and a pair of star players.
That blowback surrounded an article previewing a Sweet 16 matchup between the Tigers and UCLA where he referred to the squad as the “dirty debutantes.”
The original piece was edited quietly by the outlet, and author Ben Bolch took to social media a few days later to address the criticism. He apologized to the LSU team.
A LONG OVERDUE APOLOGY: pic.twitter.com/lgZkCt21Ft
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) April 1, 2024
“It has taken me two days to write this apology because I wanted to be as thoughtful as possible in my response to the situation I have created,” he began. “These are words I have not been asked to write by anyone at my paper, but they need to be expressed so that I can own up to my mistake.
“Words matter. As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet, I have failed miserably in my choice of words. In my column previewing the LSU-UCLA women’s basketball game, I tried to be clever in my phrasing about one team’s attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotations or associations. I also used metaphors that were not appropriate. Our society has had to deal with so many layers of misogyny, racism, and negativity that I can now see why the words I used were wrong. It was not my intent to be hurtful, but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark.
“I sincerely apologize to the LSU and UCLA basketball teams and to our readers. UCLA, a school I have covered for nearly a decade, champions diversity and is known as a leader in inclusivity. However, I have not upheld that standard in what I wrote, and I will do much better. I am deeply sorry.”
The apology noted the reactions of Mulkey, Angel Reese, and Hailey Van Lith.
Mulkey and Van Lith were heard blasting the rhetoric, believing it to target the team in a negative way. Reese trolled the writer with a post online after LSU beat UCLA to advance to the Elite Eight.
The apology seemed sincere as Bolch took full blame.