Saturday’s basketball game between Baylor and Oklahoma State took much longer than expected to complete. A power outage caused the whole thing to be put on hold, leading to a strange sequence of events.
Not long after the Bears went up by 20 on the Pokes, the lights went out. There was no warning, it wasn’t planned, they just shut down and left everyone at the Ferrell Center in a state of confusion.
The players stayed on the field, but the game obviously could not continue. Only emergency lighting, the glow of laptops and cell phones, and a small glimmer of light from outside kept things visible.
In response to the obvious technical difficulties, the team announced that it was experiencing technical difficulties. Thanks, Baylor.
Looks like we’re experiencing some technical issues in Ferrell, we’ll get the power back on and be back playing here soon! Please stay in your seats in the meantime#SicEm | #CultureOf JOY
It also asked fans to stay in their seats – so they did! As everyone tried to figure out what to do next, those who planned to catch the rest of the action and didn’t make it to the exit lit up the gym with cell phone flashlights.
But since the fans stayed seated, the players and coaches did not. Both teams left the pitch and went back to their respective dressing rooms.
Meanwhile, the Baylor band struck up a tune. As the fans sat in the dark, the sound of booming brass and sharp snare echoed throughout the arena, creating an incredibly awkward scene.
the power is out. both teams have gone to the dressing room. and they just got the band to start playing while we sit here in the dark.
I have never seen anything like it. pic.twitter.com/hswM6vIsub
As the game remained on delay and power remained mostly out, some of the stadium features came back online. At that point, someone decided to send the cheerleaders onto the field.
we’re all just here in the dark and now they’ve trotted out the cheerleaders to literally dance in the dark.
I can’t believe this. pic.twitter.com/Cb8sOyyG3z
It seems like silence would be sufficient in the middle of the blackout, but who are we to judge!
When the power came back on, ESPN couldn’t get the broadcast right again, so it had to resort to some rudimentary techniques.
The Bears eventually won by 16. What a strange night in Waco!
