A Boston sports radio station is facing calls to fire one of its hosts after he uttered an insult that listeners considered racially insensitive on Wednesday.
While complaining about the Gen-Z population on his show ‘Felger & Mazz,’ sports radio host Tony ‘Mazz’ Massarotti sparked controversy live on the airwaves.
In a clip posted to social media, Massarotti and his co-host Dave Felger were talking about the MLB postseason, when he began complaining about Generation Z, saying, “I’ve determined, by the way, that the “Z” stands for “Zipper.” “.”
Zipperhead is a racial slur typically used by American military personnel to discriminate against Asians during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
It is unclear what context led to the comment. DailyMail.com has contacted 98.5 The Sports Hub for comment.
Boston sports radio host Tony Massarotti used a racial slur while on the air Wednesday.
Immediately after the clip was released, people began calling for Massarotti to be fired.
‘How come you still have a job?’ wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter. Another said: ‘Maz with his annual racial incident on air. I don’t understand how these two still work in television and radio.
Barstool Sports host Jeff D. Lowe tweeted: ‘He gasped at this’ and then added: ‘I was expecting some kind of angry/dumb comment towards the Red Sox given the thumbnail. That was an M. Night (Shyamalan) style twist.’
Others were unaware of the phrase – or its background – and thought that Massarotti perhaps did not know what he was saying.
“To be fair to Tony, I actually didn’t know Zipperh**d was a racial slur,” one user wrote.
Another said: “I’ve never heard that term before.” It was apparently used prominently in “Gran Torino”, which I saw when it came out but didn’t remember. It took me three seconds to look it up and discover that it is indeed an insult. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mazz didn’t know either, given the context but also given past discretions, no one upset about this will give him the benefit of the doubt.
In February 2023, Massarotti (left) made comments about Black people being considered racially insensitive.
Massarotti, 56, got into trouble last year for similar racially insensitive comments that led to his suspension from the airwaves.
In February 2023, Massarotti was addressing co-host Michael Felger, who was working remotely, when the former referred to two African-American men sitting in the background.
“Now I want to know who the two guys are after you,” Massarotti asked Felger, who was co-hosting the show from a hotel in New Orleans, according to WCVB.
‘They can’t hear us, can they? Okay, so I’d be careful if I were you. Because the last time you were with a couple of guys like that, they stole your car.
He later clarified that he was just trying to “make fun” of Felger, who reportedly had his car stolen in New Orleans in the fall.
The local media personality also admitted to taking his joke too far and that it “damages the case” of those advocating for racial and social equality.
“Late on Friday’s show, I made some comments that angered and upset some people, and rightly so,” Massarotti said at the time. ‘I wish I could get them back. Can’t.
‘So I owe you all an apology. It’s not who I am. It’s not who we are. I can tell you until I turn blue; those of you who know me will believe it.’