Sharks Apologize for Controversial On-Screen Message During Hispanic Heritage Celebration
SAN JOSÉ, California – The San Jose Sharks issued an apology following the display of a controversial message on the stadium screen during the team’s Hispanic Heritage celebration.
The message, which appeared on the video screen during the first intermission of Saturday night’s game against Pittsburgh, seemed to praise the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The message, sent by a fan, said: “SJ SHARKS FANS/WE LOVE ICE!! GO GUYS!”
The Sharks organization deeply regrets that this message, which does not align with the values of our organization, was not detected during our standard review process.
The Sharks apologized later during the game, stating that “a message with offensive words that had been sent externally was inadvertently displayed on the stadium screen”.
The Sharks organization deeply regretted the incident and assured that they are investigating the origin of the message. The team’s celebration was its ninth annual Hispanic Heritage edition, known as “Noche de Los Tiburones”.
