Tornado Turmoil

Cowboys fans not happy about TV interruption

Football fans are passionate about their favorite teams. None more so than those who follow the ups and downs of the Dallas Cowboys. We have a lot of Cowboys fans around the Twin Cities. And when their ‘Boys are playing it’s best not to come between them and the TV screen.

On Sunday, the Cowboys were playing the Philadelphia Eagles. At the same time, tornadoes were bearing down on Dallas and surrounding areas.

So most TV stations interrupted the game to advise viewers of the situation.

Although there was property damage, no one died in the Dallas-area storms. But the same storm system claimed two lives in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Things could have been a lot worse and it’s possible the stations saved lives by warning residents so they could take cover.

But some Dallas fans weren’t having any of that.

Social media lit up Sunday with angry viewers complaining about the interruption. They didn’t see any reason at all for it. Especially here in Texarkana, many miles form the Metroplex.

Well, the stations have an obligation to public safety that outweighs any sporting event. And, as it turns out, at the time of the game Bowie and surrounding counties were under a tornado watch until 2 a.m. That’s something that should always be taken seriously.

One Fort Worth station chose not to break into the game and is under fire for the decision. KXAS-TV (NBC 5) has issued an apology after being taken to task for putting football above safety,

We understand that many are devoted to the Cowboys. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But even the most diehard of fans should understand that some things, like public safety — maybe even the chance of saving human lives — must come first. We hope everyone remembers that the next time something like this happens.