© Antonio Lacerda / European Pressphoto Agency)BBC Africa focused extensively on the uniform choices of the Egyptian and German women’s volleyball squads, labeling their match “Bikini vs Burka.”
A week into the Rio Games,
NBC and some other U.S. news outlets have taken a drubbing for a sexist approach to female athletes. But around the world, other media organizations are showing they aren't about to let the Americans win gold, silver and bronze in the foot-in-mouth competition.
The U.S., to be sure, was out of the gate first. There was NBC broadcaster Dan Hicks, who after Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu won gold and set a world record in the 400-meter individual medley, immediately started talking about her husband and coach, calling him "
the guy responsible." Next came the
Chicago Tribune, which referred to two-time trapshooting medalist Corey Cogdell as "wife of a Bears' lineman" in a headline,
rather than using her name.
But then South Korea got in the game. The English-language
Korea Times ran a story speculating on the love life of 6-foot-3 Kim Yeon-goung, headlined: "
Boyfriend a tall order for 192cm South Korean volleyball star."
Comment: It's not just against women; it's an all-around lack of class and focus on the trivial. Men, women, they're all just pieces of meat, apparently.