Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 17, 2013

The Heidi Game was an American football game played on November 17, 1968, in which the Oakland Raiders came from behind to defeat the New York Jets 43–32, scoring two touchdowns in the final minute to win. It obtained its nickname because the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) controversially broke away from the game with the Jets still winning to air the television film Heidi at 7 p.m. in the Eastern Time Zone. A high-scoring contest, together with a number of injuries and penalties for the two bitter American Football League rivals, caused the game to run long. NBC executives had ordered that Heidi must begin on time, but given the exciting game, they decided to postpone the start of the film. Many members of the public called NBC to inquire about the schedule, to complain or opine, jamming the network's switchboards. As NBC executives were trying to call the same switchboards to implement their decision, the change could not be communicated, and Heidi began as scheduled. The movie preempted the final moments of the game in the eastern half of the country, to the outrage of viewers. In 1997, the Heidi Game was voted the most memorable regular season game in pro football history. (Full article...)

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