Guy M. Wong of Sacramento, California sent an e-mail to chiamonline.org on January 22:
By now, you've most likely have heard of Shaq O'Neal's "racial" taunting of Yao Ming. While many have written about Shaq should apologize properly and not the "If I had offended anyone, then I apologize" type half-hearted apology, I think Tony Bruno of Fox Sports Radio is just as guilty, if not more so.
The event did not surface until last December when Bruno played Shaq's taunting repeatedly on his morning show, inviting his listeners to call in. AsianWeek (Jan. 3, 2003) reported that and the news media picked up from there. An except of the article reads:
"The only reason anyone knows about Shaq's latest taunt is because Fox Sports Radio's Tony Bruno Morning Extravaganza played a recording of the taunt several times to its nationwide audience on Dec. 16 and 17. On the latter day, Bruno commented that Shaq's comment was 'not racist' and then invited listeners and radio commentators to call in jokes making racist fun of Chinese. For hours, people cracked jokes, such as offering free bike parking to increase Chinese attendance at basketball games." I urge you to contact Fox and complain about Bruno. The contact info is: Fox Sports Online Group, 1925 South Bundy Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Phone: (310) 998-4004. Fax: (310) 998-4000 and ( 877) 695-0329. E-mail: feedback@foxsports.comBelow is my email to Fox Sports.
About 20 years ago, Sacramento Talk Radio KFBK fired Robert Downey when he refused to apologize for using the word "Chinaman" on the air and replaced him with an unknown host by the name of Rush Limbaugh. I strongly believe Fox Sports Radio should follow KFBK's lead for Tony Bruno's travail when he invited his listeners to call in after repeatedly playing Shaq O'Neal's misguided remark about Yao Ming.
Being a host at Fox, Tony Bruno should know better. What was his motive when he played the ill-advised taunt over and over again? Why did he allow his listeners to make fun at the Chinese? Sure, Shaq should not have made that remark, but he has apologized and Yao Ming has graciously accepted it. Tony Bruno's crime is much worse than Shaq's.