San Jose Sharks Apologize for ICE Message Displayed During Hispanic Heritage Night
The San Jose Sharks issued an apology yesterday after a message appearing to praise U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was displayed on the videoboard during the team’s annual celebration of Hispanic heritage.
The message, submitted by a fan, read, “SJ SHARKS FANS/LOVE ICE !!/GET ‘EM BOYZ !” and was shown during the first intermission of Saturday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sharks Sports & Entertainment acknowledged the incident, stating, “an offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard.”
The organization further explained, “Sharks Sports & Entertainment deeply regrets that this message, which does not meet our organization’s values, was not detected during our standard review process.” The team was hosting its ninth annual “Los Tiburones Night,” dedicated to recognizing and celebrating Hispanic heritage, making the incident particularly jarring for many fans. ICE has been the subject of considerable controversy regarding its immigration enforcement policies.
The Sharks stated they are “actively working to determine the origin of the message” and apologized for the oversight. This incident highlights the challenges sports organizations face in moderating fan-submitted content in real-time. More information about the San Jose Sharks can be found on the team’s official website.
Officials said the team is reviewing its screening procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
