Rich Stadium power outage

Just a day after the Clarion Content blasted TBS and Major League Baseball for the snafu that prevented them from getting the first inning of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on the air another sports power failure hit. This one felt rather more like bad luck than piss-poor planning.

Three small mylar balloons became entangled in wires across from the Buffalo Bills' Rich Stadium thirty minutes before game time. Power failed throughout the stadium. CBS was unable to broadcast the game. The Jumbotron did not work. Time was kept on the field, the play clock was signaled to the quarterbacks by hand. There were no television timeouts as the game was unable to be aired without power to the stadium. The crowd cheered without prompting as the usual electronic noise was not pumped through the stadium. The teams sat in darkened locker rooms before the game and at halftime.

Power was restored during the third quarter. Television coverage resumed shortly thereafter and the Bills won with a late goal-line stand and two turnovers by Chargers QB, Phillip Rivers.