The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is weighing fines against Philadelphia-area television and radio broadcasters because a baseball player said a dirty word, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
During a celebration of the Phillies world championship on Oct. 31, all-star second baseman Chase Utley, overcome with joy and possibly Miller Genuine Draft, took the mic in front of 40,000-plus fans and exclaimed, “World Champions! World [expletive] Champions!”
Shocked that a pro athlete would utter a bad word, the offended took pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).
“This was not a casual slip. This was an intentional misuse and abuse of the public airwaves. … How am I to explain such profanity to my child?” one of the injured parties wrote.
The FCC wouldn’t tell the newspaper whether it planned to pursue action but the tiny number of complaints doesn’t offer a hint. The agency can smack down a broadcaster based on a single complaint, or none, if it chooses. And with raunchy radio host Howard Stern off the public airwaves and in the safe, unregulated confines of satellite radio, the FCC certainly has the free time.
See the uncensored video of Utley below.
–Jeffrey Young