Alabama at USF Broadcast Used Wide Angle Due to Nearby Lightning, ABC Says

The gameday broadcast was impacted by the storms, even after the return from a lightning delay.

Week two across college football was marred by bad weather, especially on the East Coast, where storms ravaged the Eastern Seaboard causing numerous delays across the sport.

The weather outlook in Week 3 has been much better, with the exception of South Florida, where thunderstorms caused a game delay between USF and Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

As a result, the game broadcast was impacted even after the game resumed, as the broadcast was limited to wide angle shots of the action on the field.

“There was a lightning strike close enough to the stadium not long ago, where our cameramen have not been cleared to return to their positions in spite of the fact that the game resumed,” ESPN on ABC announcer Bob Wischusen explained. “So that’s why you’re kind of seeing these wide angle shots. We’re expecting, certainly by the time the second half rolls around, that the lightning will be far enough away that everyone can go back to work, and we’ll bring you the game the rest of the way like you’re used to seeing it. But right now, with 2:54 to go in the first half, we’re forced to use some of these wide angle shots.”

ABC's cameramen have not been cleared to return to their posts after a lightning delay leaving the Bama-USF broadcast with only stationary, wide-angle shots. Bob Wischusen explains. pic.twitter.com/Adyc0wRdUH

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 16, 2023

Luckily for fans at home, the minor inconvenience to keep the camera crew safe only impacted the remainder of the first half of play. The usual television angles returned to the viewers at home in the third quarter.

The weather not only impacts the field of play, but gameday operations as well. Wischusen reminded fans at home of the inconvenience that thunderstorms can cause, albeit for the safety of everyone involved at the stadium.