ESPN criticized for not showing patriotic tribute before Sugar Bowl
Jan. 4, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; ESPN logo prior to the 2011 Sugar Bowl between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Louisiana Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN is facing criticism over its pregame coverage of the Sugar Bowl, which largely ignored the patriotic tributes to the victims who were killed in the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street earlier this week.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Notre Dame and Georgia was originally supposed to be played on Wednesday night at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. Officials made the decision to postpone the game until Thursday following a terrorist attack that killed 15 people and injured dozens more on Bourbon Street, which is located roughly a mile from the stadium.
Before kickoff of Notre Dame’s 23-10 win over Georgia, a moment of silence was held to honor those who were killed when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar maniacally drove a pickup truck down Bourbon street early Wednesday morning. ESPN did not air the tribute or the national anthem, which was accompanied by “USA! USA!” chants from those in attendance.
Here was the #SugarBowl National Anthem that @Espn didn’t think you needed to hear after a terrorist attack in our city. pic.twitter.com/jqHrAnYAEu
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) January 3, 2025
ESPN drew widespread criticism for not airing the moment of silence and national anthem.
ESPN not showing the national anthem before the Sugar Bowl is a bit surprising.
— PDM (@PD_Magee) January 2, 2025
Really, ESPN? You won’t show the National Anthem and moment of silence for the victims of the New Orleans jihadist terror attack??! There’s no excuse for that.
Disney’s CEO needs to step up to the plate and demand a complete reorg of the entire network — or just SELL it… NOW.
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) January 2, 2025
A source with knowledge of the situation told Christian Arnold of the New York Post that the pregame tribute was not shown due to an “awkward” transition out of a commercial break. ESPN had just gone to a commercial break on “SportsCenter” following an interview with Tim Tebow.
SEC Network, which is owned by ESPN, showed the moment of silence and national anthem. ESPN also opened its Sugar Bowl coverage with a pre-recorded message from president Joe Biden, and play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough spoke about the tragedy.
Still, many are convinced that ESPN deliberately avoided the patriotic tributes due to the nature of the terrorist attack. Some have even noted that ESPN framed the attack as a “truck attack” rather than an act of terror from an Isis-inspired killer.
I hate when trucks kill people. Nice work @espn. pic.twitter.com/pnTYCLQkF3
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 1, 2025
ESPN has long had a reputation for leaning a certain way with sensitive issues. That is why most people are not going to buy the “awkward commercial transition” excuse for what happened before the Sugar Bowl.