With a gaffe in its college sports reporting, ESPN has landed in hot water yet again. In one such incident, Northern Iowa (UNI) head coach Allyson Schwab had to correct ESPN when it wrongly mentioned UNI in a graphic as NIU (Northern Illinois University). The gaffe, during a broadcast of a matchup between the NIU Huskies, invited an immediate rebuke from Schwab, who took to social media with a tongue-in-cheek but pungent rebuke:

“Hey @espn, UNI is not NIU and NIU is not UNI. Thanks.”

The mix-up, seeming minor, struck a sensitive chord with Northern Iowa, a school whose programs have played consistently at a high level in college hoops and wrestling. As both UNI and NIU have high-profile programs, having them confused showed a lack of detail for ESPN. For Schwab and many, it was one of many mistakes in a list of accuracy failures for the network in its television work recently.

This latest mistake is one in a long series of ESPN’s misses that have embarrassed the network in recent times. For the sports giant, it’s not its first rodeo, and, according to current trends, not its last, when it comes to being publicly criticized for its mistakes during its broadcasts.

A pattern of gaffes: ESPN’s inexcusable on-camera mistake history

While the Northern Iowa and NIU blunder is most recently in ESPN’s succession of blunders, the network hasn’t been exempted from similar blunders in its history. Fans and critics have long criticized such blunders, raising eyebrows about the accuracy and reliability of the worldwide leader in television broadcasting for sports.

One of the most infamous blunders took place in December 2024 at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, when ESPN continued to refer to Fresno State as “the Bulldongs” and not “the Bulldogs.” The flub was displayed not only once but a number of times in a range of graphics during the broadcast. Fans had no qualms about mocking the boo boo, with one fan stating, “Ah, yes, the traditional matchup between the Huskies and the Bulldongs.”

Similarly, in 2024, ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast a high-profile women’s hoops matchup between Ohio State and Iowa, but in a mix-up, flashed Ohio State’s logo, not the University of Iowa’s, onto television sets. With Caitlin Clark’s massive following and hype for her record-setting game, such a blunder confused and infuriated Hawkeye followers.

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ESPN’s struggles with accuracy persisted. In its 2023 MLB Home Run Derby in July, the network confused player statistics, misrepresenting important statistics in its report of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s performance. The mistake soon became a social media sensation, dominating an otherwise electrifying contest.

These incidents, most recently including the UNI-NIU debacle, represent a disturbing trend for ESPN. As ubiquitous a presence in television for sports as ever, such a high level of errors raises questions about detail and quality control. Fans have become increasingly outspoken in disappointment, and schools like Northern Iowa have started to stand in and demand accountability.

Mistakes happen during live sports broadcasting, but when mistakes become a recurring problem, they reflect badly on a network’s credibility. For a smaller school such as UNI, getting its name correct during national television broadcasts is important. As part of a long line of high-profile mistakes, this most recent one shows ESPN must pay closer attention to its reporting. With patience growing thin with its fan base, will the network act to stop future mistakes?