Racism is Alive and Well in the KBO

Just in case you were wondering, yes…baseball (and race relations) in Korea is way different than baseball (and race relations) here in the States.  You know how I know?

This.

And in case you're too lazy to click the link (I wouldn't blame you)…here's the skinny. 

Hanwha Eagles first baseman (and South Korea national baseball team member) Kim Tae-Kyun recently made some racist comments about Lotte Giants pitcher Shane Youman who, well, just so happens to be African-American.

“(Shane) Youman is the most difficult player to play against,” the slugger told reporters after being asked who the toughest pitcher in the KBO is. “His face is too black, so it is hard to bat because his white teeth and the ball confuses me when he smiles on the mound. So, I suffered a lot."

Oh…he wasn't done.

“There’s no particularly difficult pitcher, but when I play against Youman, I screw up because of his white teeth.”

Then, after being told his comments might be just a little bit racist, Kim changed his tune. Kinda.

"I was just trying to say that Youman was a good pitcher because he has deception in his delivery that makes it hard to read at the plate," he said. "I have played in Japan and I know how hard it is for a player to adapt to a different culture. I am very close with the foreign players on my team like Denny Bautista."

Suuuuuuuure…the old "I'm friends with Denny Bautista" excuse.  Youman isn't buying it.

"After hearing about Kim Tae-Kyun from my translator initially I laughed, and said it was okay, not a problem, people make mistakes," the onetime Pittsburgh Pirate said.  "After I thought about it for a bit, I became a little upset, which is the initial reaction from someone who hears about something that's potentially racist towards them. No matter your ethnic background, you will either feel hurt, anger, or both when it comes to racism towards you."

I'm going to go ahead and say it…Youman handled this thing with total class.  I can't imagine how comments like Kim's would be handled here in America.