When Football Met Heidi: NBC's Historic TV Blunder

On November 17th, 1968, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets played a thrilling game that would go down in sports history as the "Heidi Game." The game, which was nationally televised on NBC, had a dramatic finish that was missed by most of the East Coast viewers due to a scheduling conflict with the made-for-TV movie "Heidi."

The Raiders were trailing the Jets 32-29 with just over a minute left in the game. Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Smith, giving Oakland a 36-32 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Jets fumbled the ball, and the Raiders recovered it in the end zone for another touchdown, making the score 43-32 with just 42 seconds remaining.

However, most of the viewers on the East Coast never saw the thrilling conclusion. NBC had scheduled the movie "Heidi" to begin at 7:00 PM EST, and the network decided to cut away from the game at that time, regardless of whether the game had finished or not. This decision led to a flood of angry phone calls from viewers who were furious that they had missed the end of the game.

The "Heidi Game" had a significant impact on the way that networks handled the scheduling of televised sporting events. After the incident, NBC issued a public apology and changed its policy to ensure that future games would be shown in their entirety, even if they ran over their allotted time slot.

The game also had an impact on the AFC playoff race that season. The Jets' loss to the Raiders ultimately cost them the division title, as they finished the season tied with the Raiders at 11-3 but lost the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head record. The Raiders went on to win the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs before losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II.

The "Heidi Game" remains one of the most memorable moments in sports television history, and it continues to be referenced and discussed by fans and media members alike. It serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing live sporting events and the passion that fans have for their teams, even in the face of scheduling conflicts and other challenges.

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI