Fox apologized after explicit fan conversation about a sexual encounter was broadcast during U.S. Open coverage

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Fox issued an apology on Friday after a microphone at the U.S. Open picked up two fans discussing a sexual encounter in very explicit terms and aired it during the live broadcast. (Getty Images)
Fox issued an apology on Friday after a microphone at the U.S. Open picked up two fans discussing a sexual encounter in very explicit terms and aired it during the live broadcast. (Getty Images)

Fans watching Patrick Reed hit his approach shot on the first hole at the U.S. Open on Friday on Fox Sports 1’s broadcast got a little more than they bargained for.

Shortly after announcer Joe Buck announced on the broadcast that Reed was up next, the microphones behind Reed picked up a conversation between two fans at Shinnecock Hills discussing a sexual encounter in very explicit terms.

The audio then cut back to Buck after the conversation, who said, “second shot” as if nothing had happened.

The conversation, picked up by AwfulAnnouncing.com, could be heard clearly on the broadcast. (Warning: that link is NSFW, and contains explicit language.)

Fox Sports spokeswoman Anne Pennington confirmed to Sporting News that the audio was actually coming from fans on the course, and wasn’t a radio mixup.

Fox issued an apology on Friday afternoon, too.

“Today, during the live FS1 broadcast of the 2018 U.S. Open, one of the many microphones on the course inadvertently picked up some offensive crowd chatter. We sincerely apologize,” Pennington told Sporting News.

Fox also lost audio during its coverage of the event on Friday for about 15 minutes. Audio was lost in the middle of an interview with Jack Nicklaus, and cameras then turned to an aerial shot of the course before cutting to commercials.

Buck apologized on the air for that blunder when audio was restored.

“The reviews are in, they’re saying we’ve never sounded better,” Buck said. “The audio went out. We apologize for our technical difficulties and our audio difficulties. We’ve been dealing with them all day. Sometimes you’re aware of them at home, sometimes you’re not. This time, you were. Let’s go back out…”

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