In the 33 year history of ESPN’s College GameDay, there have been some truly memorable moments that stand out. From the time Boston College’s Mark Herzlich announced he was cancer-free live on the air to the emotional return to Virginia Tech following the 2007 shooting on campus to the many marriage proposals and Lee Corso’s mascot head switcheroos that made the home crowd cheer (or boo).
Saturday’s broadcast of this truncated and strange 2020 college football season will likely be added to that list. Not only for the fact that it featured Corso calling for the season to be delayed out of an abundance of caution over COVID-19 but also for the impassioned, emotional plea that Kirk Herbstreit made on the state of social injustice in America, specifically when it comes to the injustices faced by Black college athletes and Black Americans in general.
College GameDay didn’t shy away from the important topics of the day and the weight of the discussion between Howard, Corso, Herbstreit, Maria Taylor, David Pollack, and Rece Davis certainly became clear when Herbie started speaking.
This is one of the most extraordinary moments in the history of College GameDay pic.twitter.com/7wW1CGP64j
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 5, 2020
“I was talking to David Shaw, the head coach of Stanford…he shared a quote to me and it reminded me, from Benjamin Franklin: ‘Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as to those who are.’
“The black community is hurting. If you’ve listened, (you’ve heard) the word empathy and compassion over the last four months. How do you listen to these stories and not feel pain and not want to help? You know what I mean? It’s like…wearing a hoodie and putting your hands at 10-2…Oh god, I better look out. I’m wearing Nike gear, like what? What are we talking about?
“You can’t relate to that if you’re white but you can listen and you can try to help because this is not OK. It’s just not.
“We gotta do better man. We gotta, like, lock arm and arm and be together. In a football locker room, that stuff is gone. Those barriers are gone…We gotta do better.”
Not only did Herbstreit get emotional while speaking but Maria Taylor and others also got emotional as well before Rece Davis took the segment to commercial discussing what college football players are doing about social justice off the field.
Many viewers don’t tune in to ESPN to see hosts and analysts call for the delay of entire seasons or break down in tears while discussing the athletes they cover, but such is the condition of the country at the moment. We all know that “stick to sports” is dead and buried, but we’re at a juncture where the idea that sports are some kind of “escape” from what happening in the world is a disservice to those who play the games and the media members who cover them.
Herbstreit’s vulnerability was also refreshing as there’s a propensity for men in his position (and sport) to be tough and not show emotions. Herbie has a lot of sway with college football fans across the country and being able to honestly convey his feelings and emotions on this platform is something viewers won’t soon forget. Hopefully, the actions that Kirk is calling for will follow.
