NFL fans slaughter Al Michaels and claim he should RETIRE after ‘awful’ Bills-Dolphins call: ‘Tough to listen to’
Al Michaels, commentator for Amazon Prime’s live broadcast program, has faced widespread criticism on social media after fans criticized his “lack of energy” phone call during Thursday Night Football.
Michaels has long been the voice of soccer in America. He has been with NBC since 2006 and has been a reporter for Amazon since its founding in 2022.
In recent years, however, some fans believe Michaels is past his prime as he approaches his 80th birthday in November.
He was responsible for the Bills’ thrilling early touchdown against the Dolphins on Thursday, but some were unimpressed with the call.
“Why isn’t Al Michaels retired?” one fan wrote. “He sounds like a robot shouting plays. No joy or emotion in his voice. It’s f***ing depressing,” while another added, “Bruh get Al Michaels out of the booth. Bro ain’t got no passion left.”
Al Michaels (right) was on hand with Kirk Herbstreit for the call for Thursday’s game in Miami
Fans quickly took to social media to criticize Michaels’ call for the Bills’ first touchdown of the game
Elsewhere, a fan sarcastically wrote, “Al Michaels is bursting with energy tonight,” while another said, “Someone please take Al Michaels off the air. This guy needs to go to the beach.”
Michaels is back for another season as host of Amazon’s NFL coverage, but it comes just months after NBC dealt him a major blow.
Last season, he failed to cover any of the announcer’s four NFL playoff games, ending a streak of 17 seasons — much to Michaels’ surprise.
He has been part of the network’s postseason football coverage every year since his appointment in 2006, but was left out of the squad last season.
NBC’s top commentating duo of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, who handle the network’s “Sunday Night Football” duties each week, reported on three broadcasts, while Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge hosted the other.
Michaels, who is approaching his 80th birthday in November, is a loyal customer of NBC and Amazon
Some claimed he ‘should have retired ten years ago’ and others asked him to ‘wake up’
Michaels spoke before the season about the games he has to play on Thursday nights this season, emphasizing that he “can provide a great story for every game.”
Despite his age, Michaels insists he understands the importance of the digital age, telling NFL Network: “Streaming is becoming more and more important.
“The graph is up for streaming, and I don’t want to say down for linear, because the NFL is so powerful right now and linear is still very, very important, but there’s a lot of eggs being put in the streaming basket right now.”