Fiery Message Shown on Jumbotron
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks are facing backlash after a controversial message referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appeared on the scoreboard during their annual “Los Tiburones Night,” an event meant to honor the region’s large Hispanic community.
The message, which appeared during the first intermission, read: “SJ SHARKS FANS LOVE ICE!! GET’EM BOYZ!” It was briefly displayed on the Jumbotron before being taken down.
What was meant to be a celebration of Hispanic heritage — with music, tributes, and community outreach — quickly turned sour. Fans, many of them on the more progressive side, blasted what they saw as an inflammatory and tone-deaf message that hijacked the night’s theme.
Given the region’s political climate, it was unsurprising that the crowd responded with a chorus of boos. The message was broadly interpreted as a show of support for ICE and, by extension, a swipe at illegal immigration.
Sharks Blame External Submission
In a statement released after the game, the Sharks sheepishly claimed the message had been “externally submitted” and was mistakenly approved for display.
“During the first intermission of tonight’s game, an offensively-worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard,” the team said. “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 Sharks organization sincerely apologizes for this oversight, and we are actively working to determine the origin of the message.”
The team confirmed the message did not align with its values and promised to review its content screening procedures.
Thus far, it remains unclear who submitted the message. The organization says it is working to trace its source and prevent similar issues going forward.