ESPN Airs Commercial For Game That Already Happened During First College Football Bowl

Friday marked one of the most wonderful days of the holiday season, as ESPN hosted the first college football bowl game of the year on its airwaves. In doing so, however, it aired a commercial for a game that was already played.

Now, this may not have been ESPN's fault. The 'Worldwide Leader' may not have had anything to do with the improperly timed commercial. It doesn't make it any less funny.

On December 16, 2022, Miami University squared off against the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl. Yes, it is crucial to get the sponsor in there, otherwise this glorious postseason matchup would not have been played. We thank the HomeTown Lenders.

The game marked the start of bowl season and pit two .500 teams against one another. It was football, and having football on television before noon on a Friday is a gift to us all.

Both the Redhawks and Blazers got out to a slow start and neither team eclipsed the 10-point mark in the first half. It was 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 10-6 at the break.

As the game went to halftime, so too did the broadcast. A commercial break, as is standard, led the game from the booth in the Bahamas to the studio in Bristol, Connecticut.

However, one of the advertisements was out of place.

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MACTION?!" a booming voice exclaimed. The commercial was for the 2022 Mid-American Conference Championship. Not the 2023 MAC Championship.

Obviously, the 2022 MAC Championship already happened. The game was played on December 3rd, 13 days prior, and Toledo beat Ohio 17-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The mixup was likely on the MAC for sending the wrong tape to Bristol. ESPN also may have mixed up the commercial and ran the wrong one. There is no way to know who is at fault, but it was probably the conference itself.

Either way, it was a hilarious moment in the middle of a one-possession football game played in the Bahamas at 11:30am ET on the third Friday in December. Gotta love bowl season.