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The LSU women's basketball team is no stranger to the spotlight. Kim Mulkey's squad won the 2023 NCAA Tournament and continues to make a deep March Madness run in 2024. However, things got dicey after the LA Times released a controversial piece previewing LSU's Sweet 16 matchup against the UCLA women's basketball squad.
LA Times beat writer issues apology for controversial column
Ben Bolch, a UCLA beat writer for the LA Times, attempted to write an exciting column for the Bruins-Tigers matchup. However, the article was poorly received due to some of the language and references made.
The column portrayed LSU as “villains” and “dirty debutantes.” One line that captures the theme of the article is “Do you prefer America's sweethearts its dirty debutantes? Milk and cookies or Louisiana hot sauce,” per insight from NOLA.
Head Coach Kim Mulkey swiftly criticized the piece, calling it “sexist.” Mulkey understood the need to hype up the Sweet 16 matchup but believed the comparisons between the programs crossed a line.
The LA Times made changes to Bolch's article along with an editor's note that contained an apology. Bolch also released an elaborate apology on Monday.
“Words matter. As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet, I have failed miserably in my choice of words,” Bolch posted on X. “In my column previewing the LSU-UCLA women's basketball game, I tried to be clever about one team's attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotation of associations. I also used metaphors that were not appropriate.”
“It was not my intent to be hurtful, but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark. I sincerely apologize to the LSU and UCLA basketball teams and to our readers. UCLA, a school I have covered for nearly a decade, champions diversity and is known as a leader in its inclusivity. However, I have not upheld that standard in what I wrote and will do much better. I am deeply sorry.”
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LSU women's basketball continues to battle adversity
The Tigers did not let the LA Times article get to them. They beat UCLA 78-69 under standout performances from Flau'jae Johnson and Angel Reese. The squad is once again in the spotlight as it takes on Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women's basketball squad in the Elite 8.
Monday night's matchup is a highly anticipated rematch from the 2023 national championship. LSU beat the Hawkeyes 105-85 despite Iowa receiving 30 points from Clark. After the loss, Clark came back strong in 2023-24 and had a historical season.
She broke Kelsey Plum and Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring records and led Iowa to its third straight Big Ten title. Meanwhile, Angel Reese's squad bolstered its depth by adding Haley Van Lith via the College Basketball Transfer Portal.
The Tigers earned a No. 3 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and have battled through tough matchups to face the Hawkeyes, who have the No. 1 seed. The storied rivalry of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark has garnered massive attention, but the score will finally be settled on Monday.
All in all, it will be interesting to see how LSU fares in its March Madness matchup of the century.
