Sharks’ Hispanic Culture Night Marred by ICE-Endorsing Scoreboard Message

On Saturday night, the San Jose Sharks hosted their ninth annual “Los Tiburones” game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The night was meant to celebrate the Bay Area’s Hispanic culture — “tiburones” is Spanish for “sharks” — and while there were quite a few events that did just that, an unfortunate error made the night take an entirely different context.

During the first intermission, the San Jose Sharks showed fan messages on their scoreboard, as they do for every game. During that time, a message slipped through which would be seen in bad taste under any circumstances, but took on an even darker context on “Los Tiburones” night.

Hey @SanJoseSharks, @jbecher, and @sjsharkie – how on earth is this an acceptable thing to have on your Jumbotron, like, ever, much less on a night honoring Hispanic heritage? I’m so appalled and disappointed in you right now. #TealTogether #SanJoseSharks #Hockey pic.twitter.com/1wItz8gty4

— 🐰 (@jessiemae) October 19, 2025

ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency that has been especially controversial over the last year for their overzealous enforcement of immigration laws, especially in the Hispanic community.

After the message was publicized on social media, the San Jose Sharks issued the following statement:

During the first intermission of tonight’s game, an offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard. Sharks Sports & Entertainment deeply regrets that this message, which does not meet our organization’s…

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 19, 2025

San Jose Sharks president Jonathan Becher also put out a statement of his own:

Disappointing that this slipped through our internal controls but even more disappointing that a fan somehow thinks this is acceptable https://t.co/yOYcpErwkn

— Jonathan Becher (@jbecher) October 19, 2025

As of now, there is no further information on how the message was allowed to be displayed on the scoreboard, however, the Sharks did note that the incident is under investigation.  Regardless, a night meant to celebrate the Bay Area’s Hispanic community was marred by an unfortunate turn of events.