Hundreds of thousands of our nation's college football-crazy fans were watching the annual Sugar Bowl from New Orleans when the broadcaster did what almost all broadcasters do when they are in The Big Easy to work major events like college football games, an NBA all-star game or the NFL Superbowl: They had a camera in the French Quarter.
That's what television does when they're in New Orleans. People love to get what they think is a real taste of New Orleans when they visit. Hear some music. Get a hurricane. Try some shots. See street performers.
And they want to see any debauchery they just happen to see while taking a stroll.
Such was the surprise on a woman's face when she saw a couple of things she must not have been expecting while pushing her baby in a stroller Monday night.
The look of disgust, shock and surprise on her face was worth rewinding the video at least several times.
Just to her left was a woman looking up at a French Quarter balcony while pulling her top down. Though her attention was clearly on wanting some beads -- or something -- from someone she probably didn't know, she exposed much of her breasts for an audience of anyone nearby -- without realizing that a worldwide audience was also watching.
She probably wasn't thinking about imitating Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction in the 2004 NFL Superbowl halftime show with millions watching.
I'm no broadcast techie, but I think broadcasters have had video delays in their toolboxes for situations like this. I can't imagine smart television people weren't aware that all kinds of things happen in the French Quarter, especially when they see cameras.
I know people who work at ESPN and other networks. My guess is that Monday night and Tuesday morning there was plenty of texting, lots of calls and memos flying about using the delay function in the future to avoid stunning new mothers -- and national football audiences.
Most of these flashers aren't from here. They leave their real identifies and their moral compasses home when they exit jets or at least when they enter The Quarter. Plus, New Orleans has other neighborhoods that can show Crescent City slices of life. Uptown. The Lower Nine. Gentilly. Bywater. The Garden District. Algiers.
Why does New Orleans so often get represented by the French Quarter? Heck, not even the whole 400-plus acres and 78 square blocks of the place. These camera shots come down to Royal and Bourbon streets, and nearly always Bourbon.
ESPN, the quick apology was right on. Next time, let's not interrupt a heck of a football game with someone's minor league stripping.
