A longtime Boston sports radio host is under fire for using a racial slur on Wednesday's broadcast.
Tony Massarotti, host of 95.5 Sports Hub's afternoon driving show “Felger & Maz,” used a derogatory term to describe Gen Z during a corner.
During a conversation with co-host Michael Felger, Massarotti used a slur that has its origins in the Joseon Dynasty and has been used against people of Asian descent, saying, “Incidentally, 'Z' means 'zipper.' I decided that it was an abbreviation for “Head''.'' And the Vietnam War.
Warning: offensive language
The Committee of 100, an organization that promotes issues important to the Chinese American community, says the term “groups all people of Asian descent into one group, portraying them as vulnerable and dangerous at the same time.” It cites the term as racist because it is
The former Boston Herald columnist and Sports Hub host since 2009 was criticized on social media for his language.
“You're kidding.” @Tony Massarotti It's bad to use slurs in general, but why not use them on live TV or radio? Eat a pile,'' one angry user wrote on X.
“Tony is 56 years old and he is part of Generation X,” another wrote. “I looked it up. In his case, X must be the epitome of xenophobes. Even if it's unconsciously…I can't say I'm surprised.”
“I don't think Maz obviously meant this as a racial slur, but the incompetence, accidental or not, on live TV is still baffling,” another wrote.
Sports Hub contacted the newspaper for comment, but there was no immediate response.
Massarotti was suspended without pay in 2023 after making a racially insensitive comment at a hotel corner where Felger was working remotely with two black men sitting behind him.
“I'd like to know who the two people behind you are,” Massarotti asked Felger, who appeared on the show from a New Orleans hotel. According to WCVB. “They can't hear us, can they? Well, I'd be careful if I were you, because the last time you were with a few of those guys, they stole your car. That’s why.”
He later apologized for his remarks.
“Later on Friday's show, I made comments that angered and upset some people, and rightly so,” Massarotti said after his 2023 remarks. I can't. They were insensitive, hurtful, and frankly hurtful to the cause of those of us who believe in racial, social equality, etc., and I think so too. I'm on that side, and that's what makes this issue so difficult in so many ways. ”
Massarotti has not yet responded to Wednesday's segment on social media.
