The Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia kicked off on Thursday afternoon after being delayed from Wednesday night following the terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more.
Amid the lives lost, fears of safety and feeling of tragedy in New Orleans and the Caesars Superdome, a moment of silence was observed before the game began at 3 p.m. local time. Many viewers criticized ESPN for not showing the moment of silence on its TV broadcast, but video was made available on social media.
The circumstances surrounding the Sugar Bowl and perhaps a sense of community that developed among those in attendance in the face of tragedy added enthusiasm and vigor, in addition to a chant of "U-S-A!" to the performance of the national anthem by New Orleans native Samyra prior to kickoff.
Several observers noticed and TV cameras showed that the Superdome also had several empty seats as the game began.
Some of that may have been due to a late-arriving crowd that had to go through additional security measures while entering the stadium. Several fans and media likely could not attend after the game was moved from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon.
And many simply may not have felt like attending a football game — or felt safe — in light of a terror attack in which several people were hurt and killed.
Nonetheless, the atmosphere in the Superdome during the Sugar Bowl brought a somber mood followed by emotion and inspiration for an anticipated College Football Playoff matchup. However, with real world events taking precedence, the game felt less important to many.