Maine radio broadcasters fired for body shaming HS girls basketball players
A pair of radio announcers in Maine were fired after making disparaging comments about the weight of two girls playing in the high school basketball game being livestreamed, according to the Press Herald.
During the game between Central Aroostook (Mars Hill, Maine) and Easton (Maine) High School on Thursday, the WHOU-FM broadcasters were caught on the hot mic.
“Extremely overweight. Awful,” said one of them, and the other responded by saying that uniforms need to be found “that fit the girls.” There was laughter heard following that comment.
The video clip was posted to Twitter, and some users started commenting and posting to the station’s Facebook page. WHOU owner Fred Grant posted a statement the next morning that said the broadcasters, Steve Shaw and Jim Carter, had been terminated.
Easton Superintendent Mark Stanley told News Center Maine that the girls were offered support services on Friday and that he spoke with their parents.
“We’re a small school up here, we know all our kids really well, we’re lucky in that regard, and so we know every single player that was on that team being talked about,” he said to the outlet.
Easton head coach Emily Hill also joined News Center Maine on a Zoom interview.
“It is frustrating and upsetting to hear those things being said, especially in regard to young girls,” she said. “To hear that from those men was very upsetting.”
