Michigan State University (MSU) has apologized after a photo of Adolf Hitler appeared on a stadium scoreboard before a football game.
The image of the Nazi leader was displayed as part of a trivia quiz preceding the school’s match against the University of Michigan at the Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The photo, reportedly taken from a quiz on YouTube, was used to illustrate a question about Hitler’s birthplace.
“MSU is aware that inappropriate content by a third-party source was displayed on the video board prior to the start of tonight’s football game. We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values,” MSU Associate Athletic Director Matt Larson said in a statement. He promised that the school would “implement stronger screening and approval procedures.”
The school’s athletic director, Alan Haller, later announced that a staffer had been suspended over the incident. “The image displayed prior to Saturday night’s game is not representative of who we are and the culture we embody. Nevertheless, we must own our failures and accept responsibility,” Haller said.
The case drew particular attention in light of the Israel-Hamas war, which has sparked a wave of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents on US college campuses.
NSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff also apologized for the mishap, saying the displayed image “made many of our community feel alienated and unsafe,” MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff wrote in a letter to alumni on Sunday, as cited by CNN.
The creator of the The Quiz Channel on YouTube, Floris van Pallandt, told CNN that he did not authorize the MSU to use his work, but defended the content of the quiz. “The trivia question displayed at the stadium is a legitimate one, and it’s imperative we don’t shy away from history’s more dark facets,” he said. He added, however, that he would not have chosen that exact question for a live stadium audience.
