Longtime sports fans either remember or heard about the “Heidi” game. In the closing moments of a game between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders in 1968, NBC cut away from the game at 7 p.m. to air the made-for-TV movie “Heidi.”
The Jets were leading 32-29 after kicking a field goal with a minute to play. NBC left the broadcast after the kickoff. But the Raiders not only scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 43-yard pass play, but they scored again when the Jets fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Raiders won the game, 43-32, but no one outside of the Oakland Coliseum even knew about it.
After dealing with non-stop complaint calls and letters, the NFL then required broadcasters to not cut away from a game in the home markets of the teams playing.
LIV Golf experienced its own “Heidi game” moment last weekend.
Listen to the Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast here:
Apple: https://t.co/VqZzNFhFGZ
Spotify: https://t.co/SkFSZxNocD
Google: https://t.co/3bJktvhEeQ pic.twitter.com/vVBWo9OtDo— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) May 19, 2023
While on a much smaller scale, something similar happened two weeks ago at the LIV Golf Tulsa event. Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Branden Grace were dueling and heading to a playoff when the tournament reached the end of its allotted window on the CW Network. Commentator Arlo White told viewers to switch to the CW app to see the conclusion of the tournament.
How well is LIV Golf doing on the CW? Stations across the country cut away at 6:30 PM ET to regularly scheduled programming from Sunday’s final round with four holes to go. In Miami, the local CW station started airing a syndicated episode of The Goldbergs. pic.twitter.com/SGSZvNQwS8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 15, 2023
Whether this was a rookie mistake by the CW or LIV will likely not be known, but both parties have said it will not happen again.
In a statement released by LIV, the CW said:
“The CW confirmed with the affiliate body—all 210 local stations—that in the event that this happens again, all stations will continue carrying the LIV Tournament through to completion. LIV Golf and CW Sports are learning together what will delight our fans and grow our franchises, and we’re proud that we are nimble and able to make adjustments as these learnings are made available.”
LIV Golf plays in Washington, D.C., this week. As per the agreement between LIV and the network, the final two rounds of the 54-hole event are broadcast live on the CW.
Cover Image Via LIV Golf
