A Los Angeles Times writer apologized Monday for his Saturday column previewing LSU and UCLA’s Sweet 16 matchup where he framed the game as a “reckoning” between good versus evil.
“Words matter. As a journalist, no one should know this more than me,” columnist Ben Bolch said in a statement on social media. “Yet I have failed miserably in my choice of words. … I tried to be clever in my phrasing about one team’s attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotation 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.”
Bolch’s column sparked widespread criticism, with LSU coach Kim Mulkey calling it “sexist” and “wrong,” particularly his referring to LSU players as “dirty debutantes” and UCLA players as “milk and cookies.”
“How dare people attack kids like that?” Mulkey said after LSU beat UCLA. “You don’t have to like the way we play. You don’t have to like the way we trash talk. You…
