Everyone Has Same Problem With ESPN's Cotton Bowl Broadcast
The Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas has been electric, but there's one issue with ESPN's broadcast that has really rubbed fans the wrong way.
Throughout this Friday's playoff game, ESPN has cut to commercial almost every five minutes. There was one sequence in the third quarter that was downright disrespectful to the viewers. After Jaydon Blue scored a touchdown to tie the score up, ESPN went to commercial break. That's understandable considering every broadcast does that after a scoring drive. What really annoyed fans was that ESPN aired another set of commercials after the kickoff. It just completely derailed the flow of the game.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, countless fans have ripped ESPN for the way it has handled its broadcast for the Cotton Bowl.
"OK ESPN that was disgraceful - touchdown, commercial, kickoff, commercial. Really? That sucks," one fan said.
"I would be willing to give the NCAA an antitrust exemption if they would use it to prevent ESPN from doing the touchdown…commercial break…kickoff…commercial break," a second fan wrote on X.
Another fan tweeted, "OMG Does ESPN have to go to commercial after every single punt/kick?"
"ESPN is funny. Went to commercial after the Texas td and went to another commercial after the kickoff," a social media user said.
Obviously, ESPN has certain advertisement executives to please. And in today's society, we get that making money is at the top of the list of priorities.
On the other hand, it'd be nice to see networks throw its viewers a bone by letting the game play out just a bit.
ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 10: Quarterback Will Howard #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes passes the football over Defensive Lineman Vernon Broughton #45 of the Texas Longhorns during the Ohio State Buckeyes versus Texas Longhorns College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 10, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What also makes this situation frustrating is that all the commercials take away from Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. They've been brilliant in the booth for ESPN.
Hopefully, the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl is entertaining enough to distract us from this major issue.
Are you a fan of ESPN's broadcast?
