It’s a good thing for Fox that it already locked up a 12-year deal to broadcast Pac-12 sporting events since one of its cable networks may have just offended a large segment of the conference’s student body.
Comedian Bob Oschack, in a segment filmed for Fox-owned Fuel TV, sought to “welcome” Colorado and Utah to the newly expanded conference.
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His version of an “All-American welcome” consisted of finding Asian students at USC, which sports the conference’s signature football program, and having them stumble through their welcomes.
Oschack appears to have only sought out Asian students who do not follow sports and speak English as a secondary language. And his tone is unmistakingly mocking. For example, one student thought that when Oschack said “Utah” he actually said “you talk.” Others had difficulty even understanding the directions.
Oschack's comedic intentions remain murky — was he taking aim at the conferences indigenous schools, which have been ridiculed in the past for their large Asian student populations? In any event, Fox quickly recognized the segment as inappropriate.
"We sincerely apologize to President Nikias and the entire USC community for the production and posting of the video," Fox spokesperson Lou D'Ermilio said in a statement. "The context was clearly inappropriate and the video was removed as soon as we became aware of it. We will review our editorial process to determine where the breakdown occurred, and we will take steps to ensure something like this never happens again."
Guess that means Oschack isn’t headed to UCLA next.