The outcry – and the outburst – was swift.
A Oklahoma sports broadcaster was caught during a live stream directing racial remarks and expressions at members of a girls’ school basketball team who were kneeling during the national anthem.
The racist remarks come shortly after Norman High basketball players knelt while playing the national anthem before a quarter-final game against Midwest City at Sapulpa High School in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
“F — they, I hope they lose,” can be heard by one of the broadcasters who apparently does not realize that his microphone is audible in the live broadcast. “They’re going to kneel like that? Hell no.”
“F —— n ——,” the announcer said later at the end of the national anthem.
Footage that captured the comments during the game’s online broadcast on the NFHS Network was shared on Twitter on Friday morning.
The cry – and the outburst – was immediate.
“We do not condemn and dislike the disgusting words and attitudes of these broadcasters,” Norman Superintendent Nick Migliorino said in a statement. “This type of hate speech has no place in our society and we are furious that it will be directed at anyone and especially at our students.”
Migliorino said the school will no longer use the NFHS network to stream the tournament.
The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association has contracted the broadcast crew to announce the state tournament on the NFHS Network. The association said the crew will not play any matches for the rest of its championship.
“This type of conduct will never be tolerated by anyone representing the NFHS or OSSAA,” OSSAA Executive Director David Jackson said in a statement. “The playoffs of the state tournament are a special time for our schools, their students and their communities, and anything that is counterproductive to education-based activities will receive immediate and appropriate attention.”
The NFHS Network, which also disconnected production staff, apologized for the comments.
“The thoughts expressed do not in any way represent our network, and we are outraged that they have found their way into production,” the network said in a statement. “The NFHS network strongly condemns racism, hatred and discrimination. We also apologize to students, their families and the entire community for making such ignorant and hurtful comments during the broadcast.”
While news of the comments spread Friday, others in the Oklahoma community responded. The public caretaker of public education, Joy Hofmeister, called them ‘sick and contemptible’, and Norman’s mayor, Breea Clark, said she was ‘alive and absolutely disgusting’.
“These young athletes have simply expressed themselves as hundreds of professional athletes across the country have done, and no one, let alone a child, deserves to experience this kind of racist and toxic behavior,” said Clark, who plans to is to keep a town. hall with the youth of Norman “so that we can learn how this incident affected them and hear directly from our children how we can improve our community going forward.”
The mayor called on OSSAA to terminate its contract with the NFHS network.
The broadcaster released a statement to several local newspapers, including The Norman Transcript and The Frontier, apologizing for his racist remarks – blaming him for being a type 1 diabetic and the ‘raises’ blood sugar levels.
ABC News contacted the broadcaster for comment.
Norman beat Midwest City 53-40 on Thursday. Both teams knelt during Friday’s semifinal against Tulsa Union in Sapulpa, reports The Oklahoman. Norman advanced to the finals with a win Friday.