'Thank You' - Fans React To ESPN Admitting National Anthem Mistake
01/16/2025 02:39 PM
ESPN received a ton of criticism for not showing the national anthem before the start of the Sugar Bowl. It was supposed to be a unifying moment for a city that just dealt with a terrorist attack.
It was then reported that ESPN didn't show the national anthem due to a timing issue. That only led to more backlash for the network. During an appearance on "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show," ESPN president of content Burke Magnus was asked about this controversial subject. Not only did he own up to this mistake, he said that his network deserves to be criticized for not showing "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to kickoff.
"At the end of the day, that was a horrible error that was made by well-intentioned people who felt terrible about it," Magnus said. "I lost my father over the holiday break, and he was an Army veteran. There was nothing more important to him than his military service. The notion that it was intentional or we were trying to avoid acknowledging what was a horrific situation in New Orleans was misplaced. it was just a mistake that we feel terrible about. And by the way, we should be held to account for. We want to be as good as we can possibly be at all times."
This apology from Magnus might not work for every football fan, but the majority of them are glad he took full accountability.
"Thank you ESPN," one fan replied.
"Well there we go, at least there is acknowledgement," a second fan said.
"At least he's owning their mistake instead of ignoring it happened," another fan wrote.
"Everyone is so much more forgiving when you just admit you screwed up. They should have just said this from the start," a social media user said.
ESPN showed the national anthem for both the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl last week. Fans should expect the same for the national title game on Monday night between Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Grammy Award winner Coco Jones will perform the national anthem at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. She'll be with music director Adam Blackstone.
Maybe fans will change their tune on ESPN after hearing Jones' performance on Monday night.
Related: ESPN Didn't Show National Anthem For College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
