In Episode 37 of Seinfeld, “The Letter,” which first aired in 1992, Elaine was kicked out of a Yankees game for wearing a Baltimore Orioles baseball hat in the Yankees owner’s box. It seemed fairly unlikely that someone would be kicked out of a game just for wearing a hat, but it made for good TV.
However Renee Gork, an Arkansas sports radio reporter, upped the ante when she was fired for wearing a Florida hat to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s press conference. Gork graduated from Florida and said it was an innocent mistake. She said that she grabbed the hat in a rush because it was raining. She sent a letter of apology to Petrino, who was bothered by the hat. He remarked at the news conference that he would not answer questions from Gork while she had the Gators hat on.
The Gork matter is an example of the reality of at-will employment. Generally, in the US, employment can be terminated by either the employer or the employee at any time for any reason, except for three general exceptions: (1) breach of contract by the employer, (2) breach of an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (3) violation of public policy by the employer.
Many might find the entire episode ridiculous, but according to station general manager Dan Storrs, the move by the radio station is simply good business. “This radio station is Hog Sports Radio. We are very biased. We support the Razorbacks 100 percent.”
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