ESPN Apologizes for Showing Bourbon Street Flasher During Sugar Bowl Broadcast
The viral incident occurred when the network’s broadcast of the Washington-Texas game returned from a commercial break.
ESPN has issued an apology for showing a woman flashing her breast during the network’s coverage of the Sugar Bowl on Monday night. The incident occurred as the network showed partygoers walking on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as the telecast returned from a commercial break during the Washington-Texas matchup.
“We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast,” ESPN spokesperson Bill Hofheimer told the Associated Press.
ESPN has endured its share of miscues during bowl season, from mislabeling the rankings for Alabama and Michigan during College GameDay to using Arkansas’s logo to represent Arkansas State. This mistake only happened for a brief moment, but it was enough for the video to go viral on social media.
Stephen Lew/USA Today network
Broadcasts showing footage of people around the city can be risky—especially in a free-spirited place such as New Orleans—because the networks can’t control what people do during those shots. However, networks are usually able to filter the videos and use those that are suitable for television.
Maybe ESPN will utilize a seven-second delay for its next live shot of Bourbon Street.