Home > Race Slippery on the Tongue for ESPN Morning Talk Show
Race Slippery on the Tongue for ESPN Morning Talk Show
Alvin Lin - January 19, 2010
Popular ESPN morning talk show host Mike Greenberg found himself in some hot water this morning after letting out a slip of the tongu[1]e on-air while trying to say "Martin Luther King Jr.," instead saying "Martin Luther Coon Jr."
He issued an apology[2] later today. I don't know how much this unfortunate slip of the tongue reveals about Greenberg, as this is the first time he's had a slip up like this in over ten years of broadcasting, but what is interesting to me is how similar this slip-up looks like compared to this Youtube clip of a 1965 Alabama mayor[3] doing the same thing.
Incidentally, five years ago a television weatherman made a similar mistake[4], apologized, but was fired from his job.
It'll be interesting to see how the public receives this, given the prevalence of sportscasters' other[5] racial slurring[6].