ESPN’s handling of broadcast during Damar Hamlin’s TRAGIC accident receives praise from social media
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ESPN shifted the broadcast back to the studio after Damar Hamlin's injury (Image via ESPN)
Monday Night Football Bills-Bengals matchup turned out to be one of the darkest days in the history of the NFL. Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of the game after he collided with Bengals WR Tee Higgins. He had stopped breathing and was administered CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) on the field. This has shaken the entire league and the fans.
ESPN, who was responsible for airing the game, was quick on its feet and cut the national feed as Hamlin lay on the field unconscious. The spin-chilling incident shook the players and fans present in the stadium to their core and everyone was in tears.
The game was temporarily suspended but later postponed in the wake of the extent of the injury. Players from both sides came together and kneeled as they prayed for Damar Hamlin and his family. ESPN cut in and out of the feed, multiple times as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were talking about the events happening on the field as they, too, were fighting back tears.
Related: ‘Distraught’ Tee Higgins meets Damar Hamlin’s family after the unfortunate accident
Joe Buck reveals horrifying details of the events on the field after ESPN cut the feed
People all over social media are praising ESPN for their presence of mind and cutting the feed as Damar Hamlin was being loaded in the ambulance and driven to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Finally, ESPN shifted its broadcast back to the studio where Suzy Kolber was hosting with Adam Schefter and Booger McFarland.
“The emotion that we’re experiencing tonight is really hard to describe,” Kolber said. “We cannot and will not speculate. What we do know is he needed CPR, and that in itself is terrifying.” Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT turned analyst Booger McFarland said that he has never experienced such a tragic injury during his nine-year stint in the league. He further added that the only thing everyone can do is pray that Hamlin pulls through.
NFL Insider Adam Schefter said, “it’s chilling to watch it — you can just see on social media, every single team, player and person offering up their prayers to Damar Hamlin. The players were sent to the locker room and the game doesn’t matter. The game is so secondary to everything else. No one cares about the game. Everyone cares about this young man, his family, and finding out how he’s doing.”
ESPN streamed the studio talk for about an hour and then shifted to SportsCenter hosted by Scott Van Pelt, who asked Joe Buck to give a synopsis of the events that transpired on the field. Buck said that they have seen injuries where players have required medical attention, but this was something that has never happened before and everyone was speechless.
“You think they’re going through a blow to the head or something along those lines. It switched quickly. It went from what is the typical ‘everybody gather ’round let’s make sure this player is okay’ to those who are on the field in his immediate vicinity administering CPR and really pounding on his chest. A lot of that was not on TV,” Buck said.
The coverage of this tragic incident from ESPN, though, received some rare praise. The media giant’s sensible and humane coverage of the game was well-appreciated by the fans. Have a look at some of the Tweets of the same.
Recent updates from the UC Medical Center suggest that Damar Hamlin has shown improvement in his vitals, but he’s still not breathing on his own and has a breathing tube down his throat. Doctors are doing everything in their power and running every possible test they can to heal Hamlin.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)