Shades of the 1968 Heidi Game were in the air late Friday night when ESPN2 abruptly ended its live broadcast of the Georgia high school showdown between Buford and Mill Creek, a pair of national powers, shifting its audience to the ESPN app with the game still squarely in the balance.
The move was made due to contractual obligations to carry the NBA preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
The Heidi game occurred in 1968 when live broadcasts of sporting events were just beginning to become prominent. It involved an American Football League (AFL) between and Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. The broadcast was cut with a minute to play to begin a scheduled broadcast of the film “Heidi” on time. Fans were deprived of the opportunity to see Oakland score two touchdowns in that final minute and pull out a thrilling 43-32 victory.
On Friday, Buford the No. 4 team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 was trailing No. 12 Mill Creek by a touchdown. The Wolves had the ball in Mill Creek territory with just 24 seconds to play as quarterback Dylan Raiola, the nation’s No. 1 rated player, was attempting to lead a game-tying drive.
Fortunately, fans watching the broadcast did not miss a last-minute touchdown, but they did miss Mill Creek’s ability to hold on and secure the upset.
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