Bob Ballard has been calling Olympic Games for a while. Yet after what was clearly an off-handed mistake of a joke, his time in Paris has come to an end.
The colorful out gay sports commentator made what is being called a sexist slip-up on air this weekend, and the network has sent him packing.
After the Australian women’s swimming team won the 4×100-meter freestyle, Ballard made this strange observation.
“Well the women are just finishing up,” Ballard said. “You know what women are like … hanging around, doing their makeup.”
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It isn’t surprising that, as soon as the clip went viral, Ballard was pulled from the Eurosport broadcast he was on.
“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the network said in a statement, according to The Independent. “To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
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While the number of women at these Olympics is 50% of all the athletes in Paris — the first time that has happened — women obviously continue to face sexism and sexist tropes in sports and their everyday lives.
While these Paris Olympics have the most out LGBTQ athletes ever at a Summer Games, they will now have one fewer out gay TV analyst.
Even for a guy with as colorful a history of commentary as Ballard, this unfortunate misstep went too far and his time covering the Paris Olympics is, unfortunately, likely over.
Still, Ballard’s ensuing apology statement, posted on X on Monday, won’t do much to allay concerns some have over his comment.
“The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay victory ceremony on Saturday have caused some offence,” Ballard wrote. “It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and, if I did, I apologise. I am a massive advocate of women’s sport.”
Ballard has been a part of commentary for many sports that receive little worldwide attention.
Yet unfortunately, the statement is full of “you’re the one with the problem,” and the “if I offended you” lines that won’t go over well with a lot of people.
Ballard’s got a long history in the media, having called Olympic Games and Olympic sports for years. So this may be the end of it.
Still, the odd comment, and now an apology that rings a bit hollow, won’t help.
