Michigan State University apologized Saturday night for an image of Adolph Hitler that flashed on pre-game video screens at the football stadium where the Spartans hosted the University of Michigan.
Hitler's image surfaced during a pregame trivia segment in which fans were asked where he was born, the Detroit News reports. The segment is run by a third-party contractor.
“MSU is aware that inappropriate content by a third-party source was displayed on the videoboard prior to the start of tonight’s football game," MSU associate athletic director Matt Larson said in a written statement. "We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values."
The issue surfaced at a particularly sensitive time when Jews and Arabs around the world are closely following the Israel-Hamas conflict unfold, and tensions are high. It also comes at a time incidents of Anti-semitism are on the rise.
Michigan State has issued an apology after asking a trivia question about Hitler’s birth country at its game tonight:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 22, 2023
"MSU will not be using the third-party source going forward and will implement stronger screening and approval procedures" pic.twitter.com/JYUJfYoM0U
Overall, it was humiliating night for MSU which lost 49-0.
