[Anchor]

Currently, there are no mechanisms in place to prevent athletes who have engaged in hate speech, such as the Paichai High School baseball team that chanted regional slurs, or those who have committed juvenile crimes, from becoming professional players. Current regulations only restrict the entry of perpetrators of school violence. However, the KBO is now considering expanding these restrictions to include players disciplined for other reasons.

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 received a suspension or higher penalty 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 recent Paichai High School baseball team incident—from participating in the draft or joining a team.

However, this situation is 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."

The plan is to establish a mechanism to put the brakes on student athletes who have caused social controversy through antisocial behavior, beyond just school violence.

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

It is a global trend for professional sports leagues, which must maintain a positive image for their fans, to raise the bar for players who have caused social controversy.

In 2017, all 30 Major League Baseball teams passed on top college pitching prospect Luke Heimlich in the rookie draft 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 a 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 hate speech, such as racism, by banning fans from stadiums and filing criminal complaints. In the recent North and Central American World Cup, players who cover their mouths to speak during confrontations are immediately ejected to prevent hate speech at the source.

Reported by Jeon Yeongmin | Video by Lee Seung-jin | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung