LA Times edits article after drawing the ire of LSU coach Kim Mulkey
(CNN) — The Los Angeles Times have edited a previously published commentary piece written about the LSU women’s basketball team following criticisms of the article by the team’sRead More The Los Angeles Times has edited a previously published commentary piece written about the LSU women's basketball team following criticisms of the article by LSU coach Kim Mulkey. The article, titled "UCLA-LSU is America's sweethearts versus its basketball villains," was criticized by Mulkey as sexist and "awful" by the team's head coach. The LA Times has since revised the article and added a note stating that the previous version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards and has since been updated. UCLA head coach Cori Close has issued an apology for her actions, stating she does not condone racism, sexism or inflammatory comments aimed at individuals in her community.
Published : 4 weeks ago by in Sports Weather
(CNN) — The Los Angeles Times have edited a previously published commentary piece written about the LSU women’s basketball team following criticisms of the article by the team’s head coach, who decried its tone as sexist and “awful.”
Speaking to the press after the Tigers’ 78-69 Sweet 16 win against UCLA on Saturday, head coach Kim Mulkey took the opportunity to raise awareness of the piece titled “UCLA-LSU is America’s sweethearts versus its basketball villains.”
Mulkey slammed the article’s characterization of her team and said she considered some of the language used to describe her team sexist.
The LA Times has since revised the article and added a note reading, “A previous version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been updated.”
“You can criticize coaches all you want,” Mulkey explained. “That’s our business. You can come at us and say, ‘You’re the worst coach in America. I hate you, I hate everything about you.’ We expect that. It comes with the territory.
“But the one thing I’m not going to let you do, I’m not going to let you attack young people, and there were some things in this commentary, guys, that you should be offended by as women. It was so sexist, and they don’t even know it.”
The opinion piece, written by columnist Ben Bolch, pits the two college teams against each other from the first line as going “well beyond school allegiance.”
The piece then referred to UCLA as “America’s sweethearts” and “milk and cookies.” Conversely, it referred to LSU as “dirty debutantes” and “Louisiana hot sauce.”
“It was good versus evil in that game today. Evil? Called us ‘dirty debutants?’” Mulkey continued. “Take your phone out right now and Google ‘dirty debutants’ and tell me what it says. Dirty debutants? Are you kidding me?
“I’m not going to let you talk about 18- to 21-year-old kids in that tone. It was even sexist for this reporter to say UCLA was milk and cookies.”
One of the edits made to the LA Times article removed the mention of “dirty debutants” as well as “milk and cookies.”
Mulkey said during a press conference Sunday that no one from the newspaper has contacted her, and she doesn’t require an apology.
“I don’t need all that,” Mulkey said. “I just like to recognize when I feel something was done inappropriately to young people that I get to coach.”
CNN has reached out to Bolch and the LA Times for comment on the situation.
UCLA head coach Cori Close, who shared the article on social media, has since issued an apology for her actions.
“I made a huge mistake in reposting without reading it first, and I am very sorry for that. I would never want to promote anything that tears down a group of people in our great game,” Close said Saturday in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I do not condone racism, sexism or inflammatory comments aimed at individuals in our community. I apologize to Kim Mulkey and the entire LSU women’s basketball program.”
LSU next faces Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes Monday in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament in a rematch of last year’s title game.
Topics: Louisiana State University, Academia