Buffalo-Area TV Station Freezes As Caitlin Clark Breaks Scoring Record, Leaving Fans Distraught

A sports fan’s worst nightmare is that a game broadcast could freeze at a crucial moment. For fans in Buffalo, NY, that worst-case scenario became a reality in the Iowa-Ohio State women’s basketball game.

As you probably know, Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark was trying to break the NCAA basketball scoring record previously held by Pete Maravich. She needed 18 points to accomplish this feat, and with less than a minute to go in the first half, she scored 16.

With about 23 seconds remaining, Clark had the ball in her hands, and she stood alone at halfcourt. This is the drama we had all hoped to see: the record within her sights, and the ball in her hands. Would we see a half-court heave? Would she weave through the defense for a layup?

If you were a fan watching the game on Fox 29 Buffalo, you didn't get to find out. With history in the palm of her hand, the station’s broadcast froze at the most inopportune time.

Now, as most of us know, Clark missed that shot, but hit two technical free throws to set a new record. But Buffalo fans did not get to see a single second of the record-breaking sequence, and for 4:47 overall.

The feed didn’t return until Clark was in the middle of a halftime interview.

It’s unclear if the feed froze for all mediums of the broadcast, or just certain ones. But nonetheless, lots of fans were left in the dark for the monumental moment (literally) and expressed their disappointment on social media.

Apparently, certain local broadcasts in Baltimore experienced similar issues, as well as some in Virginia. Fox Sports said it wasn't an issue with the national broadcast, and that the biggest culprit for these glitches was sun interference with satellites.

Thankfully, the internet exists, so fans can relive the highlights later. But even so, I would guess they would have rather seen it live for themselves.