Amazon Prime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels received a lot of criticism on social media after fans criticized his “low-energy” narration on Thursday Night Football.
Michaels has long been the voice of soccer in America, having been with NBC since 2006 and leading Amazon’s coverage since its inception in 2022.
However, in recent years, some fans have opined that Michaels is already past his prime, as he approaches his 80th birthday in November.
He was on hand to call the Bills’ thrilling opening touchdown against the Dolphins on Thursday, but some were disappointed with the decision.
“Why hasn’t Al Michaels retired?” one fan wrote. “He sounds like a robot calling the plays. There’s no joy or emotion in his voice. It’s fucking depressing,” while another added: “Bro get Al Michaels out of the booth. This guy has no passion left.”
Al Michaels (right) was on the call alongside Kirk Herbstreit for Thursday’s game in Miami.
Fans quickly took to social media to criticize Michaels’ narration of the Bills’ first touchdown of the game.
Elsewhere, one fan sarcastically wrote: “Al Michaels is bursting with energy tonight,” and another said: “Someone please get Al Michaels off the air. That guy needs the beach.”
Michaels is back for another season at the helm of Amazon’s NFL coverage, but it comes just months after NBC dealt him a significant blow.
Last season, he did not call any of the broadcaster’s four NFL playoff games, ending a 17-season streak, much to Michaels’ surprise.
He had been part of the network’s postseason football coverage every year since joining in 2006, but was left out of the lineup last season.
NBC’s lead commentator duo of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, who handle the network’s “Sunday Night Football” duties each week, called three, while Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge handled the other.
Michaels is approaching his 80th birthday in November and is a loyal fan of NBC and Amazon.
Some claimed he should have “retired 10 years ago” and others called on him to “wake up.”
Michaels spoke before the season opener about the games he has been assigned to play on Thursday nights this season, insisting he can provide a “great story for each one.”
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 pointing up for streaming, and I don’t want to say down for linear, because the NFL is very powerful right now and linear is still very, very important, but a lot of eggs are going into the streaming basket right now.’
