[Anchor]
Current professional baseball regulations only restrict individuals who have committed school violence from joining the pro league. However, following the recent incident involving the Baejae High School baseball team, the KBO is considering measures to prevent players who have been disciplined for reasons other than school violence from entering the professional ranks.
Reporter Jeon Yeongmin has the story.
[Reporter]
When school violence emerged as a major social issue in 2022, the KBO amended its regulations.
The league restricted student athletes who received disciplinary action of suspension or higher for school violence from participating in the rookie draft and joining professional clubs.
Because the grounds for restriction were limited solely to school violence, players disciplined for hate speech or juvenile delinquency, such as those in the recent Baejae High School baseball team case, cannot be barred from participating in the draft or signing with a team.
That situation is now highly likely to change.
A KBO official stated, "We will consider amending the regulations so that the grounds for restricting draft participation are not limited to school violence."
This means they intend to establish a mechanism to put the brakes on student athletes who have caused public controversy through antisocial behavior, beyond just school violence.
However, since regulations cannot be applied retroactively even if amended, the current Baejae High School players are expected to be eligible to participate in the professional baseball draft.
Raising the bar for players who have caused social controversy is a global trend in professional sports, where maintaining a positive image for fans is essential.
In 2017, all 30 Major League Baseball teams passed on top college pitching prospect Luke Heimlich after it was revealed he had been convicted of molesting his niece as a teenager. In 2020, the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL renounced the rights to their fourth-round draft pick, Mitchell Miller, after it was discovered he had repeatedly bullied a Black classmate with disabilities.
Furthermore, European professional soccer leagues and Major League Baseball respond to hate speech, such as racism, by banning fans from stadiums and filing criminal complaints. At the recent FIFA World Cup, players are immediately ejected for covering their mouths while speaking during confrontations to prevent hate speech at the source.
(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)
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