A broadcaster for the Okotoks Oilers junior hockey team in Alberta, Canada has been fired following his alleged use of an antisemitic slur during a game Wednesday night.
Color commentator Mark Frank, pictured above on the left, was part of The Eagle 100.9 broadcast crew for Wednesday’s Alberta Junior Hockey League playoff game between the Okotoks Oilers and Brooks Bandits. According to Alberta Report, he allegedly used the word “Jewed” to describe a play at one point during the game.
As a verb, that slur has often been used as an “antisemitic term for haggling or bargaining for a cheaper price.” The specific context of Frank’s usage is unclear as footage does not appear to be available on team resources or via social media.
The AJHL and Oilers organization moved quickly, releasing a joint statement on Wednesday to say that Frank, a former AJHL head coach, has been “permanently removed from the broadcast crew.”
“During the March 29th, 2023 game broadcast of the AJHL playoff game between the Okotoks Oilers and Brooks Bandits, the colour commentator for the Okotoks Oilers made a discriminatory comment and as such has been permanently removed from the broadcast crew. The Okotoks Oilers and Alberta Junior Hockey League apologize to all those who heard the comment and will not tolerate this type of behaviour.”
— TheAJHL (@TheAJHL) March 30, 2023
Okotoks Online, which is associated with The Eagle 100.9, also shared that “The Eagle apologizes for any hurt or harm the Oilers commentator may have caused.”
Per Alberta Report, Frank’s picture was removed from the Okotoks Oilers employee page on its website and the video of the incident has been removed as well.
[Alberta Report, Okotoks Online, Okotoks Oilers] Image via Okotoks Oilers on YouTube
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.