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I would be surprised if anyone reading this got to experience the infamous “Heidi Game” firsthand, but if you did, I’d like to congratulate you on your unconventionally great taste in websites for someone your age. For everyone else who wasn’t alive when the AFL was still a thing, here’s a recap: during a game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets in 1968, the team from the West Coast scored two touchdowns in the last minute for a come-from-behind win. but viewers on the East Coast were unable to watch the drama unfold because NBC decided to switch to a broadcast of Heidi before the comeback (because everyone knows there’s a huge crossover between fans of football and Shirley Temple movies).
I don’t know if the gaffe that took place during ESPN’s broadcast of last night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs is as bad as the one that happened 50 years ago, but the timing of this most recent screwup can’t be defined as anything other than “impeccable.” With the clock winding down, Lakers guard Josh Hart drove to the rim and lofted a last-second layup towards the rim— and then this happened:
WTF Espn. I missed that last Josh Hart shot because ESPN went to commercial LOL pic.twitter.com/89ABB723EJ
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 5, 2018
Thankfully, ESPN cut back to the game from the commercial after a couple of seconds. The broadcasting team informed viewers the game was headed to overtime (which was aired in full) and eventually recapped the final play. The Lakers ultimately came away with an essentially meaningless (at least for them) 122-112 win, but the Spurs weren’t the only ones who took an L last night.