It isn’t surprising that Major League Soccer has taken action regarding what officials deemed to be inappropriate comments from a member of the league staff.
MLS has worked hard through the years to be inclusive across the entire population spectrum, across all ranges of ethnicity, sexuality, gender, age, etc. “Respect for diversity is a core principle of MLS and we are proud of the diversity of our League and its fans,” a league statement said today.
So when Simon Borg kicked up a dust storm with comments construed as sexist, MLS took action this afternoon, suspending the Extra Time podcast host and MLSSoccer.com editor for seven days. The league will also require employees to undergo diversity and sensitivity training on an annual basis, according to the statement.
Here is a portion of the comments in question, from the April 29 edition of Extra Time. (The remarks have now been edited out of the podcast.)
It’s fine if you’re a female and you want to be a super-fan. Clearly go for it, that’s your choice. But there is something to be said for how appealing that might be to the other sex. Having a woman that’s such a fan, like painting your face, tuning in to every podcast. I don’t know how many males would be into that.”
