Violence in the Dugout
A look at the apparently very common use of corporal punishment in both amateur and professional Korean baseball:
Corporal punishment has long been part of the way sports teams operate here. The way it is dealt with by the teams and the media generally follows the same playbook. Whenever reports of a violent incident surface, those involved explain the incident away by saying it’s just the way things have always been done, and even after the news has spread, the perpetrators usually deny they’ve done anything wrong. In the end, most of the offenders walk away with a minor penalty and the game goes on. Meanwhile, the players who are witness to these acts of violence keep quiet to protect their fellow teammates. The cases usually end with the teams and the media brushing the incident aside.
There are several anecdotes. None involving Julio Franco’s stint on the Samsung Lions. My guess is that he wouldn’t have stood for that crap.
Re Julio Franco’s stint: At the risk of stereotyping an entire race, don’t most Eastern cultures have much more respect for their elders than we in the West do? Franco was probably already 50 or so back in the mid 90s.
I know nothing of the people of Korea, but this is outright barbarism. It is disgusting that this sort of behavior is associated with baseball. And the fact that the players/coaches/management all let it slide is even worse. Even Ty Cobb would question this stuff, and he stabbed a guy!
I was obviously being flip in my last comment, based only on reading what Craig wrote above. But, after reading Jeff’s comment above, I went back and read the link. This is just horrible! I agree with you, Jeff. This is totally barbaric.
Clubhouse violence, acceptance of beaning players on the field, a mere 5 minute penalty for fighting in hockey, and the same old response of “It’s always been part of the game”.
That is just so screwed up it’s almost beyond words.