Al Michaels has accomplished enough to let him say and do what he wants. And he does.
A new profile from Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal provides a clear glimpse into Al’s no-effs-given attitude. Warned last year by his brother, David, that on-air criticism of Amazon’s slate of Thursday night games would get Al in trouble, Al said: “No, I’m not. Watch what happens.”
What happened, coincidentally or not, was that Amazon has a better schedule for 2023. It also could get better late-season games, via a new fan-unfriendly flex option.
And while Michaels’s comments didn’t directly shame anyone into improving the TNF package, his willingness to say what most were thinking might have helped the powers-that-be avoid any temptation to deny that the slate of prime-time games needed to be enhanced.
In the profile, Michaels also addresses some of the criticism he has absorbed for “low-energy” performances, specifically in the 2022 postseason game involving the Chargers and Jaguars.
“Look, sometimes I’ll take some shit,” Michaels told Friend. “People say, ‘He didn’t get excited enough.’ What do you want me to do? Scream, holler, yell the game? That ain’t me. That ain’t [Joe] Buck, that ain’t [Jim] Nantz. I can’t pay attention to anti-social media. We live in a country with 330 million people. And if eight people rip you on social media, I’m going, ‘huh?’ Now anybody sitting in a basement has a platform. You can’t let things like that distress you. I’ve been doing this for so long. And I wouldn’t be here at this point still doing a major package if I was doing it the wrong way.”
Al’s rant regarding “anti-social media” isn’t new. I’ve personally heard him recite it, including a colorfully derisive (and hilarious) reference after the phrase “sitting in a basement.”
This year, people sitting in basements and elsewhere will once again hear Michaels’s voice calling NFL games. For most fans who grew up listening to Michaels, there’s a certain comfort in hearing his voice. Just as there’s a certain comfort in the annual return of football season.
So complain away, basement-dwellers. Al rightfully doesn’t care about anyone’s reaction to whatever he says or however he says it.