Beyond School Violence: KBO Considers Expanding Restrictions on Pro League Entry

[Anchor]

Currently, there is no way to prevent players who have engaged in hate speech or committed juvenile crimes—such as the recent case involving the Baejae High School baseball team—from becoming professional athletes. This is because current regulations only restrict professional entry for perpetrators of school violence. However, the KBO is now considering a plan to restrict professional entry for players who have received disciplinary action for reasons other than school violence.

Reporter Jeon Yeongmin has the story.

[Reporter]

In 2022, as school violence emerged as a major social issue, the KBO amended its regulations.

The league restricted student athletes who had received disciplinary action of suspension or higher for school violence from participating in the rookie draft and joining professional teams.

Because the grounds for restriction were limited solely to school violence, it is currently impossible to block players who have been disciplined for hate speech or juvenile crimes—like those from the Baejae High School baseball team—from participating in the draft or joining a club.

The situation is now likely to change.

A KBO official stated, "We will consider amending the regulations so that the grounds for restricting draft participation are not limited only to school violence."

The intention is to establish a mechanism to put the brakes on student athletes who cause controversy through antisocial behavior, beyond just school violence, from becoming professional players.

However, even if the regulations are amended, retroactive application is difficult, so the current Baejae High School players are expected to be able to participate in the professional baseball draft.

Raising the bar for players who have caused social controversy is a global trend in professional sports, which must maintain a positive image for fans.

In 2017, all 30 Major League Baseball teams passed on top college pitching prospect Donny Everett—who had been convicted of molesting his niece as a teenager—in the amateur draft. In 2020, the NHL's Arizona Coyotes renounced the rights to their fourth-round draft pick, Mitchell Miller, after it was revealed that he had repeatedly bullied a Black classmate with disabilities.

Furthermore, European professional soccer leagues and Major League Baseball respond to fans who use hate speech, such as racial slurs, with stadium bans and criminal complaints. At the recent North and Central America 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, Graphics: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.