ESPN, which broadcast the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday in the wake of a terrorist attack in New Orleans the day before, is under the gun for not broadcasting a moment of silence and the American national anthem.
Instead, the U.K. Daily Mail reported that ESPN had a studio show breaking down the game, a move that was criticized on social media with some even suggesting the company was too ‘”woke” and that parent company Disney may have had something to do with it.
“Not showing the national anthem after a damn terrorist attack just miles away is classic @espn f’you…,” wrote one user on X.
Another user posted, “Did I miss it the national anthem at the sugar bowl, or did woke @espn not show it?”
“It’s a shame they didn’t share the national anthem. It was beautiful. I guess but no one got to see it because the Disney ESPN conglomerate decided not to show it,” read another user’s post.
“Yo @espn why the f— are you not covering this anthem???,” wondered another user.
While ESPN didn’t show the anthem or the moment of silence live, the network did show fans bowing their heads and an American flag unfurled at midfield.
A clip of these images was posted to ESPN’s social media accounts and the network also showed a message from President Joe Biden, which addressed the terror attack and the game taking place.
Still, Patrick Magee, a sports editor at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, posted, “ESPN not showing the national anthem before the Sugar Bowl is a bit surprising.”
Another college football fan said, “@espn No national anthem on the Sugar Bowl is just beyond awful. Absolutely disgusting.”