NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Community members band together to raise funds to offer Norman High School Lady Tigers a festive lunch after a game announcer is caught with a hot microphone racist language against the team that later won a state basketball championship.
A GoFundMe has been created to raise $ 6,000 for the team and $ 4,620 has been raised starting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Norman girls’ basketball team and lawyers speak at a press conference after racist slurs were heard on a hot microphone
The money will be used to provide a gift basket for each player as well as a catering lunch for the entire team. All remaining funds go loudly to the team the GoFundMe page.
The GoFundMe site organizer wants to “shower the team with love and certainty” after game announcer Matt Rowan was racially spoken out against the team. Rowan used the racist language last Thursday when the Lady Tigers kneeled in support of ending racial injustices in the United States. This is an act of peaceful protest that many athletes have undertaken against the brutality of the police.
Rowan owns the Tahlequa-based sports streaming platform OSPN, which was hired by NFHS to announce the game between Norman and Midwest City on Thursday.
Norman High School’s Lady Tigers hold out and win the State Basketball Championship days after racist language was used against them
The Lady Tigers won this game and moved on Win the OSSAA Class 6A Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday with a final score of 48-37 over Bixby.
The Lady Tigers of Norman High School celebrate after winning the OSSAA Class 6A Girls basketball tournament on Saturday. Photo credit: Norman Public Schools.
School administrators across the region were quick to denounce Rowan’s racist language.
“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 is aimed at everyone and especially our students, ”said Dr. Nick Migliorino, superintendent of Norman Public Schools, in a statement. “We fully support the right of our students to freedom of expression and are immediately focused on supporting these girls and their coaches and families, especially our black students and coaching staff. It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team is overshadowed by the hideous, malicious words of these people. We will do everything in our power to support and nurture our team and all those affected by this incident. “
Racist abuse of the Tahlequah-based announcer, which immediately provoked a backlash for his company NFHS
Norman Mayor Breea Clark expressed her outrage on Twitter.
“I’m angry and utterly disgusted at the racist and hateful comments a game announcer made to the young women on the Norman High School basketball team on the live broadcast of last night’s game,” said Clark. “These young athletes simply expressed themselves as hundreds of professional athletes across the country have, and no one, let alone a child, deserves to experience this type of racist and toxic behavior. The announcer could have stopped explaining that he was hoping our team would lose, but instead he moved on and decided to use curse words and racial slurs against our children. “
Public outcry after racist comment on hot microphone during Oklahoma High School basketball game
NFHS officials issued a statement Friday apologizing for what happened and saying the company “immediately cut ties with Rowan’s company.”
However, administrators at Norman Public Schools, Moore Public Schools, and El Reno Public Schools have already announced that they will be using services other than NFHS to broadcast games.
Rowan also made a statement of apology but said he used racist language because he was disoriented by his own Blood sugar spikes. He said he had type 1 diabetes.
Racist comments began on the announcers’ microphones as high school players kneeled for the national anthem
“I made inappropriate and racist comments believing the microphone was off. However, let me immediately state that this is not an excuse. Such comments should never have been made, “Rowan said in the statement.
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