David Basheer 'hurting' after 'unfair' criticism of Katrina Gorry comment
After suggesting 'motherhood has not blunted' Katrina Gorry's competitive fire, David Basheer has copped it bigtime from Matildas fans.
I don't know David Basheer personally, our paths not having crossed in a professional sense. But I do know of his work, which is of the highest order, and I do know he is a well-respected figure in Australian sports media, especially in the world of football.
Basheer has covered 10 World Cups (four men's, six women's), Olympic Games, Melbourne Cups and the Tour de France with a barely putting a foot – or word – out of place. Many may just know the voice, not the name, in another sign the South Australian has blended seamlessly into our sports coverage for decades without fuss or fanfare.
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Until now. Basheer, if you haven’t caught up with the story, was commentating the World Cup opener between Australia and Ireland when he declared becoming a mum had not dulled Australian midfielder Katrina Gorry's fire and will to win.
"Certainly motherhood has not blunted her competitive instincts, that's for sure," Basheer told his audience.
His comment went down like a lead adidas Oceaunz, the social media pile on immediate as the outraged went for the kill. Basheer was called everything from "sexist" to a "dinosaur" to an "ignorant male child".
"Can the male commentating the Matildas Ireland game please refrain from suggesting it’s great a player’s competitive instinct hasn’t changed since she had a child?" writer Dr Victoria Fielding tweeted (Or do we now say X-ed?).
"Why on earth would a woman’s sporting drive change through childbirth? You wouldn’t say it to a father playing sport."
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No, you wouldn’t. And if Basheer had his time over again, I sure he wouldn't.
But that's the point. Commentating live sport, there are no second chances, no chance to edit a slip-up or re-work your words.
One commentator Yahoo Sport Australia spoke to said he had reached out to Basheer and offered his support, saying "Bash doesn’t have a bad bone in his body". He also noted commentators, especially males calling female sport, are an easy target if they deviate even slightly from what is considered to be okay.
Another added: "David is a great operator and one of the nicest guys in sport. He would be hurting. Callers utter thousands of words during a game and it’s unfair to attack them when they occasionally get it wrong."
But here's the thing. The person Basheer is supposed to have offended is not offended. Not one bit.
"I don’t take things like that too personally," Gorry said. "I don’t look at it as a negative compliment, but I can see how it got taken the wrong way.
"I'm sure he didn’t mean it in a negative way, sometimes things just come out in the wrong way."
Exactly. End of story.
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