Have you ever felt like advertisers were in your head? Well, ESPN’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoff coverage took that concept to the next level on Monday night.
We’ve all had that feeling before. Maybe you’re thinking about something or you’ve had a conversation with a friend or family member and suddenly some social media algorithm is telling you to buy that product. It gives you the spooks, right? Well, at least companies haven’t found a way to digitally superimpose those advertisements in your brain… yet.
During the exciting third period of Monday’s second round playoff game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, that’s exactly what happened.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the third, a fan stood up to temporarily block the camera view. That on its own would be a nuisance to the scores of fans watching at home. But as a bonus, the technology that displays rotating digital ads on the boards was then seared through the shadow of the man’s skull in one of the weirdest sights you’ll ever see on a sports broadcast.
Hockey began experimenting with these digital ads a few years ago and they are now commonplace around the sport. Naturally, there have been issues that have popped up occasionally as you might expect given the technology. But going forward, at least for games in Carolina, the NHL and ESPN might want to be a bit more careful with their placement… or at least tell fans sitting directly in front of the main camera to stay down.
In case you’re wondering, Journavx is a prescription medicine used to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults. Hopefully if this man has any more ads superimposed through his brain, he will consult his doctor.
About Matt Yoder