Super Bowl TV: Is all the Joe Buck hate really fair?
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/29/super-bowl-tv-is-all-the-joe-buck-hate-really-fair/
On Sunday, when millions of TV viewers hunker down to watch the 49ers battle the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, we can count on certain rituals to play out:share
Obsessive football geeks will overdose on hours of pregame blather. … Most of the splashy, overpriced commercials will be judged to be “lame.” … Booties will shake and beer will be spilled as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira rock the halftime show.
And Twitter will be jam-packed with venomous barbs aimed at play-by-play man Joe Buck. How many venomous barbs? Add that to your list of prop bets.
The Super Bowl is an event that rotates among the major broadcast networks. And this year the arrow lands on Fox, which means we get Buck and his longtime sidekick Troy Aikman.
Buck is perhaps the most despised sportscaster in America. We know this because there are anti-Buck Facebook groups and numerous anti-Buck memes. Fans in Wisconsin once started a petition to ban Buck and Aikman from calling Green Bay Packers games. It was signed by nearly 30,000 people.
As for this title clash, the hostility began soon after the 49ers and Chiefs qualified for the Super Bowl. Some griped that their annual day of revelry and indulgence would be marred by the mere presence of Buck. And in one of the funniest Twitter posts of the young year, Buck was described as “27 jars of sentient mayonnaise in a suit.”
Flag that guy for roughing the announcer.
Among Bay Area folk, maybe the only person doing a happy dance over Buck’s Super Bowl gig is radio play-by-play guy Greg Papa. After all, you have to figure that a good chunk of the Faithful will mute Fox and turn on KNBR.
But why all this vitriol for Buck? And is it warranted?
With a baritone, often emotionless, delivery that features touches of dry humor and snark, he can come across like a smug frat boy to those who aren’t into that sort of thing. And he’s not really prone to the colorfully lyrical descriptions we get from some sportscasters. Nor does Buck exude the chummy kind of warmth radiated by a Jim Nantz or Al Michaels.
And though I’ve never bought into this one, many viewers simply believe he is biased against their team.
Of course, Buck has his supporters. They like how he doesn’t take himself too seriously. For example, he poked fun at all the criticism he gets in a lively “Funny or Die” video. Those who have Buck’s back also cite his seven Emmy awards and insist that his economical delivery allows big moments to speak for themselves.
Andy Nesbitt, a columnist for USA Today, argues that the hatred for Buck “makes absolutely zero sense,” adding that his voice alone “makes you know right away that you’re watching something important.”
And then there’s this sentimental bit of trivia: The last time the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl was 50 years ago — when Joe’s father, Jack, called the action for CBS. That’s kind of cool.
Still, it probably won’t soften the hearts of the haters, who believe Buck has all the televisual appeal of a fence post. So expect a barrage of mean-tweets.