ESPN is being criticized on social media for failing to broadcast a moment of silence and the American national anthem at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday in the wake of a terrorist attack in New Orleans. The attack, which occurred on New Year's Day, forced organizers for the game (held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans) to push it back from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon.
That decision was made by the bowl's committee in consultation with ESPN, the Southeastern Conference (which has a relationship with the game) and the two schools involved - the University of Notre Dame and the University of Georgia. After law enforcement searched and cleared the area of any potential hazards, the game went on as scheduled on Thursday afternoon. Before the game kicked off, the American national anthem was played (as is custom before sporting events in the US) and a moment of silence to honor the victims of the attack were held.
But neither of these moments - the anthem or the silence - were shown on ESPN as the network instead had a studio show breaking down the game. This decision was criticized on social media - with plenty of people upset that the Worldwide Leader in Sports would choose to not show the two events.
