All eyes were on ESPN Thursday as the Sugar Bowl took place just over 24 hours after ISIS-inspired terrorists caused mayhem on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. Ta.
Conspicuously absent from the pregame broadcasts on the major networks, however, was a tribute to the tragedy that occurred about a mile from the Caesars Superdome, where Notre Dame and Georgia faced off. It was a moment of silence and the singing of the national anthem.
The removal of both moments from ESPN's telecast angered some soccer fans and led to criticism of the network on social media.
But people familiar with the situation told the Post there were several factors why the national anthem and moment of silence were not broadcast, particularly the awkward transition from the commercial break.
Due to the unusual circumstances, “SportsCenter,” which was serving as a pregame show, went into a commercial break after completing an interview with Tim Tebow and before a moment of silence, and then returned in the middle of the national anthem. “It got awkward. Please cut it,” the source explained at that moment.
ESPN began the Sugar Bowl broadcast with a prerecorded message from President Joe Biden, and play-by-play broadcaster Sean McDonough spoke publicly about the tragedy as a montage of fans, police and the city of New Orleans played. on the screen.
“SEC Nation,” broadcast on ESPN-owned SEC Network, was broadcast live from the Superdome and featured a moment of silence and the national anthem in its entirety.
Still, the failure to air a memorial on ESPN after the tragedy caused a lot of emotion among fans online.
“It's too bad they didn't sing the national anthem. It was beautiful. I guess no one got to see it because the Disney ESPN conglomerate decided not to air it,” one fan said. wrote to X.
“Did I miss the national anthem at the Sugar Bowl or did woke @espn not broadcast it?” another user wrote.
ESPN declined to comment on the criticism when contacted by the Post.
The New Year's Day attack occurred around 3:15 a.m. when Shamsud Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old military veteran, jumped over a police barricade and began running toward a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street.
Jabbar was killed by police after he collided with a crane on the road and engaged in a shootout with responding officers.
The attack prompted officials to postpone the Georgia-Notre Dame game from its originally scheduled Wednesday afternoon kickoff until Thursday.
Notre Dame defeated Georgia 23-10 to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
