A highly charged and emotional minute’s silence was held prior to kick-off for college football’s Sugar Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In a moment missed by ESPN, Notre Dame and Georgia players paid their respects to the victims of the NOLA terror attack that transpired a day earlier and postponed the game as a result. The symbolic moment was felt, with loud “USA! USA!” chants before and after a powerful rendition of the national anthem. The dome that holds a capacity of 68,400 fans was on lockdown just hours before kickoff following the New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street.
ESPN faced criticism after failing to broadcast the moment of respect, however. The tribute was largely discovered through posts re-shared by on-site attendees rather than the network’s live coverage. Although ESPN later posted a video of the tribute on its social channels, the damage had already been done.
“Choosing to air this over the moment of silence for the victims and the crowd chanting USA is certainly a decision,” wrote one user on X. Another added, “ESPN not showing the national anthem before the Sugar Bowl is a bit surprising.”
Before the kickoff, Fighting Irish players posed together on the field with their arms locked in solidarity. The photo was shared on Notre Dame’s official X account with the caption, “For New Orleans.” The university also delivered a public prayer to all of those impacted by the attack before the game by offering a stance of solidarity.
President Joe Biden issued a message prior to kick-off addressing Americans impacted by the tragedy, which was broadcast before the game. He commended the first responders and acknowledged that the resilience of the city was the fundamental reason the Sugar Bowl could continue as scheduled.
“With that, the game is back on for today. But I’m not surprised, because the spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down,” he said. That’s also true of the spirit of America. We just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. God bless, and god protect our troops.”
A driver, who has since been identified, plowed into New Year’s Eve partiers on Bourbon Street at high speeds in a pick-up truck. The incident, which has since been labeled a terror attack, killed 14 people and injured at least 35 more citizens.
The terror attack occurred approximately 1.3 miles away from the Superdome, causing the venue to go on lockdown for safety precautions. After a meeting between the FBI, law enforcement, Sugar Bowl officials, and team representatives, the decision was made to postpone the game originally scheduled for Jan. 1, Wed. night at 8:45 p.m.
Leave a Reply