ESPN should apologize to Clemson football & Virginia Tech for atrocious interview decision
The Clemson football team played a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies Saturday night on ABC, but you wouldn’t know it if you just tuned into the broadcast and listened to the audio.
There are few times that we complain here about a broadcast, but this one warrants it in the worst way.
As Clemson and Virginia Tech battled on the field in the midst of the third quarter- when the Hokies were still within reach, by the way- ESPN & ABC made the decision to bring on Notre Dame QB Ian Book for a virtual interview with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
The interview was awkward and the audio was done over the broadcast of the game. At one point, we even heard the voice of Book over the ACC official who was announcing the results of a review.
Notre Dame QB Ian Book being interviewed during Clemson-Virginia Tech while the ref is announcing the results of a review. pic.twitter.com/MuMMZCyTGi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 6, 2020
It was disrespectful to Clemson football and to Virginia Tech
Let’s think about this logically. Why would anyone watching Clemson-Virginia Tech (that’s not a Notre Dame fan watching for their rematch in two weeks) want to hear anything about Ian Book?
Why wouldn’t ESPN & ABC take time to focus on the hard-fought efforts of Virginia Tech to stay in the game with Clemson football? The Hokies were within a touchdown for much of the third quarter and just a few mistakes away from making it closer.
Why wouldn’t you focus on Clemson and how dominant the Tigers have been against ACC opponents? How- even when they come out flat- they somehow find a way to take complete control of a game? Nope.
Instead, we bring Ian Book on the broadcast to do a weak promo for the impending ACC Championship game two weeks from now.
ESPN is as disinterested in this game as Clemson is.
— Rubbing The Rock (@RubbingTheRock) December 6, 2020
It was distasteful and a complete disrespect for the game being played on the field that was very much still in doubt at the time.
Oh, and even if Clemson was winning by 60 points, there’s no one watching this broadcast that cares one iota about listening to an Ian Book press conference in the midst of a a real life football game.
I can guarantee you Trevor Lawrence wouldn’t be welcomed to come do an interview on NBC in the midst of a Notre Dame game.