ESPN Cameras Couldn’t Cut Away Fast Enough From Fan’s Vulgar T-Shirt in Crowd Shot

Marshall’s loss to James Madison was briefly interrupted Thursday.

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of college football knows that strange things can—and often do—happen at weeknight games.

On Thursday, a dash of weeknight weirdness briefly engulfed ESPN’s production.

With 9:56 left in the first quarter of James Madison’s eventual 20-9 win at Marshall, the Dukes faced third-and-2 at their own 25-yard line. As the crowd of 22,109 in Huntington, W.Va., rose to make itself heard, ESPN’s cameras cut to a shot of screaming Thundering Herd enthusiasts.

They were greeted by a man wearing a clearly visible “GAME F—IN DAY” T-shirt and wasted little time in cutting to a “technical difficulties” screen.

family friendly 👍 pic.twitter.com/yC5Zano9oV

— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) October 19, 2023

It’s hardly the first instance of a sports network cutting away from a profane message in a crowd shot, though most do so with a subtle pan.

With Marshall generating little offense for which to cheer—just 169 total yards, including minus-4 on the ground—chances are that wasn’t the only vulgarity uttered last night in the Mountain State.

Get up to $100 from SI Sportsbook in Colorado, Michigan and Virginia

Bet $5 on FanDuel and get $200 in Bonus Bets if not in those states