Silence is golden.
Jackhammers, well, not so much.
And instead of silence when the audio went out for ESPN’s broadcasters during Game 1 of the Grizzlies-Timberwolves series on Saturday, we got jackhammers.
The audio issues occurred toward the end of the first quarter, when the feed went out, and resulted in a loud hammer-like noise coming onto the broadcast. It took nearly 20 minutes of real-time to resolve the issue.
Following a commercial break, the studio crew was calling the game, with the network eventually having its on-site crew attempt to test the audio while on air.
Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves (l.) is interviewed by ESPN’s Rosalyn Gold-Onwude after Saturday’s game. NBAE via Getty ImagesThe sound issues were part of a chaotic first half which included an animal rights activist chaining herself to the basket stanchion in protest of Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
It was a tough scene all around, especially in a playoff game. The network was roundly mocked on Twitter and didn’t have its feed during part of the game.
If there is a silver lining, at least it wasn’t during the fourth quarter. The game was tight into the late stages before the Timberwolves pulled away to take a 130-117 win, gaining home-court advantage in the series.
