Saturday’s college basketball matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the UCF Knights featured a bizarre moment for those watching the game after the ESPN+ broadcast failed miserably to show Edgerrin James, the father of a Cincinnati player.
The Hall of Fame running back was in attendance for Saturday’s game to watch his son, Jizzle James, who is a freshman point guard for the Bearcats.
Unfortunately, James was never shown on the broadcast of the game. Instead, a man who is very clearly not Edgerrin James was shown on the broadcast along with a graphic suggesting that it was indeed James.
https://twitter.com/russheltman11/status/1758966928658334175
Cincinnati Bearcats radio voice Dan Hoard was quick to point out that the real Edgerrin James was actually courtside across from the Cincinnati bench.
For what it’s worth, the real Edgerrin James was sitting courtside across from the #Bearcats bench. He was not difficult to locate https://t.co/xP91I0BE1P
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) February 18, 2024
This can also clearly be seen in a photo shared on Twitter/X by FAAZ Magazine, which indeed shows James sitting courtside at the game.
NFL Hall of Famer, Edgerrin James, was in attendance tonight, watching his son, Jizzle James, back in his hometown, Orlando, FL.
Jizzle scored 7 points in Cincinnati’s win over UCF.@thejizzlejames @EdgerrinJames pic.twitter.com/EwCqRN3IMo
— FAAZ Sports (@FAAZMagazine) February 18, 2024
It’s a pretty drastic mistake from ESPN considering James is certainly a memorable player who has a very recognizable face to most sports fans, even all these years after his playing days came to an end.
Naturally, many viewers watching the game poked fun at the mistake on Twitter/X.
I think fake Edgerrin James might be my fav broadcast moment this season
— Morgan Miller (@Morgan_Miller11) February 17, 2024
I call shenanigans. THIS is Edgerrin James pic.twitter.com/aBcQdSNwoH
— Joe Farfsing (@JFarfsing1980) February 17, 2024
At least this game has a happy ending for the James family. Cincinnati would go on to defeat UCF 76-74 in the matchup, with Jizzle James scoring seven points with one assist off the bench for the Bearcats.
[Russ Heltman on Twitter/X, Photo Credit: ESPN+]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.