This Sportscaster’s “Terrible Joke” Highlights America’s Gender Pay Gap

Dale made an offensive joke in regards to the gender pay hole throughout a WFAA broadcast on Thursday, Oct. 22.

“You probably have a lady — like a co-anchor or a information director a station supervisor — I feel it’s a incredible day as a result of they work cheaper, in order that leaves more cash for you and me,” he stated on air, speaking with meteorologist Pete Delkus.

Afterward, Twitter customers referred to as out Dale’s try at humor. “This actually harm me to observe, as somebody who has at all times admired @dalehansen & additionally spent years within the media biz making wayyyyy lower than male colleagues,” wrote The Marshall Undertaking workers author Cary Aspinwall. “Not humorous.”

One other consumer tweeted, “Hey @wfaa I’m past dissatisfied at @dalehansen and his feedback that he prefers they rent females as a result of we work cheaper, which leaves extra for him. It’s chauvinistic, disrespectful and simply fallacious.”

Dale apologized for his joke on air and on the WFAA web site on Sunday, Oct. 25.

“I made a joke on the air Thursday night time, a horrible joke that has offended and harm lots of people,” he stated. For that, I apologize. It was a mistake. It was silly. It was my mistake. It was my stupidity.”

Dale claimed his joke was not towards ladies and was as a substitute about how ridiculous it’s that ladies nonetheless must struggle for equal pay.

“I’m sufficiently old to know that it’s an issue that ladies have been coping with for the reason that flip of the century — not this one, the final one,” he stated. Anybody who thinks that I don’t care in regards to the wage disparity between women and men on this nation doesn’t know me in any respect. That isn’t simply the compulsory ‘I’m not the dangerous man’ protection.”

Dale stated that pay inequality is one thing his daughter and granddaughter have handled and that it’s “disgusting” that ladies in America earn lower than males for doing the identical job.

“I’ve the flexibility to chortle at every little thing, typically after I shouldn’t,” he added. “You don’t should be subjected to that by me. You deserve higher from me. I’ve tried to be that higher individual. This time I wasn’t. I’m sorry.”