ESPN couldn't have asked for a better start to its New Year's Day broadcasts of the College Football Playoff semifinals, with Michigan defeating Alabama in an overtime Rose Bowl thriller before Washington and Texas played an exciting first half at the Sugar Bowl. Arguably the most viral moment, however, wasn't something that happened on the football field.
An ESPN camera on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, not far from the Caesars Superdome, caught a partially topless woman flashing herself while the network was cutting back in from commercial break during the Sugar Bowl.
Viewers got a pretty clear view that ESPN certainly never intended to air, and the clip quickly circulated wider than the network would have liked. That prompted an apology from the company on Tuesday.
"We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast," ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Now, if you have been to Bourbon Street — or even if you haven't — you understand this isn't exactly an unexpected sight. What was unexpected was the fact it made it on the air to a broadcast watched by a massive audience.
It isn't clear whether the footage was live or prerecorded. If it was prerecorded, the footage was still recent — a Texas flag is visible, as are fans wearing Longhorns gear. If it was live, ESPN might start to rethink any live shots from Bourbon Street, where plenty of major college football and NFL contests are held.
MORE: How Michigan beat Alabama in Rose Bowl thriller
It was a brief moment of embarrassment for the network, which broadcasts all three College Football Playoff games, but social media had some fun with it.
Proud of NOLA that you still can't take a broadcast safe live shot down Bourbon Street
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) January 2, 2024
well you scheduled a live shot of Bourbon Street on national tv and you got it
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) January 2, 2024
The Rose Bowl is famous for the sunsets, but I see ESPN just learned that uh, the Sugar Bowl environment has some unique sights as well
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) January 2, 2024
Considering the Sugar Bowl was set to last well past midnight on the east coast, the slip up might have at least kept a few viewers awake to see the remainder of a fun shootout between Michael Penix Jr. and Quinn Ewers.