For many fans of the Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers, the notion that the Crosstown Shootout was being broadcast on ESPN+ was incredibly frustrating.
ESPN+ announcer John Schriffen certainly didn’t help matters on Saturday.
Schriffen, who is also the TV voice of the Chicago White Sox, referred to Cincinnati great and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as “Oscar Robinson” three separate times during the first half, which did not go unnoticed on social media.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Dave Clark, Schriffen’s third mention of “Oscar Robinson” came while talking about Cincinnati students who spent all week protecting his statue from getting an Xavier jersey placed on it.
In the grand scheme of things, an announcer mispronouncing a name isn’t the worst thing to ever happen. However, for many Bearcats fans, the lack of care when referring to the most iconic basketball player in school history speaks to their perceived concerns that ESPN lacked any care or thought for this heated rivalry showdown, dumping it on their streaming service instead of giving it a spot on one of their linear networks.
It also didn’t help that the ESPN+ feed was choppy for some, apparently including former Xavier coach Chris Mack.
[Enquirer]