The mic is always on. Anyone who has been around production knows that. Yet one Oklahoma high school basketball announcer forgot and let his inner-racist appear for all to hear.
Before the start of their quarterfinals matchup against Midwest City, players from the Norman girls basketball team kneeled. When the broadcast team from the NFHS Network noticed, one announcer showed his true colors.
“They’re kneeling? F***ing ni**ers. I hope Norman gets their ass kicked….F*** them. I hope they lose.“
That announcer actually used the word again before the live broadcast resumed. He was later identified as Matt Rowan, who confessed that it was him. Rowan was hired by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.
After being outed, he took to Twitter to issue an apology and give one of the newest and lamest excuses for racism- diabetes.
When Rowan’s comments went viral, the rebukes were swift.
Norman Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino issued the following statement:
“Last night during the Norman High School girls’ basketball game versus Midwest City in the Oklahoma 6A State Basketball Tournament, National Federation of High School (NFHS) Network announcers on a live stream broadcast made racist and hateful comments targeted at our Norman High student athletes. The announcers were contracted by OSSAA for the state tournament.
“We condemn and will not tolerate the disgusting words and attitudes of these announcers. This type of hate speech has no place in our society and we are outraged that it would be directed at any human being, and particularly at our students.
“We fully support our students’ right to freedom of expression and our immediate focus is to support these girls and their coaches and families, particularly our Black students and coaching staff. It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team is being overshadowed by the vile, malignant words of these individuals. We will do everything in our power to support and uplift our team and everyone affected by this incident.
“Moving forward NPS will rely only on our long-standing, community partner SportsTalk Media to live stream the remainder of the tournament, as we have full confidence in their proven ability to respectfully support our student athletes.”
The NFHS Network took to Twitter to issue their apology.
“The NFHS Network firmly condemns racism, hate and discrimination, and there is no room for this in high school sports or anywhere.”
It’s another example of how racism is prevalent no matter the level of play.
We will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops.
