Updating the score bug on a broadcast can be a thankless task, as no one notices when you get it right and everyone notices when you get it wrong. That’s what happened with the end of the Tennessee-South Carolina game on ESPN2 Saturday, where Tennessee lined up for a 58-yard field goal at the buzzer to try tie the game at 24. The field goal fell short, and the announcers got that right immediately, but the score bug indicated that the game was tied and heading to overtime:
To be fair to who did this, the camera angle did make it somewhat look like the kick was good. And it’s easy enough to push the wrong button. However, the officials’ signals were clear, as were the reactions from the sidelines. As much as Tennessee fans would have loved for that field goal to be good, it definitely wasn’t.
This mistake’s totally understandable, and if it had come during the middle of the game, many might not have even commented on it. At such a crucial moment, though, it deserves some attention, especially for the “end of regulation” banner indicating the game was headed to overtime. That definitely created some momentary cognitive dissonance for those watching the broadcast.
[Ian Casselberry on Clippit]
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About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.