Another week, another demand from the NFL fans! The past few games have been brutal for the announcers in this 2024 season. Earlier it was Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico, and Troy Aikman. Now it’s Al Michaels, who is facing backlash on TNF due to his call. During the Thursday night football game between the 49ers and the Seahawks, fans fumed over Al Michaels, claiming that he has met his downfall now due to his arguably bad commentary. But what happened?

It was a moment that could have lit up the entire stadium. During the Week 6 game, just under 14 minutes were remaining in the second quarter of the NFC West matchup and that’s when Brock Purdy faked a handoff and launched the ball to Deebo Samuel, who soared to make the catch. On the other hand, Seahawks’ Julian Love had a chance to bring him down but missed, and eventually, Samuel took off like lightning. He flew down the sideline for a thrilling 76-yard touchdown, his first of the season.

But what should have been a roaring call from the booth fell flat. Al Michaels, who was the announcer for the game, showed his unemotional response, by stating, “Making the grab Samuel. The tackle is missed. Deebo off to the end zone. Touchdown 49ers.” Now this nonchalant commentary left fans puzzled and disappointed.

He also received negative feedback on his work for the Week 3 matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. People disliked him rambling about the camera shot of the moon, his impersonating former ABC broadcaster Keith Jackson, and talking about possums “running around with all the rats Mayor (Eric) Adams is trying to get rid of.” Well, he mentioned all this just seconds before Zuerlein missed a field goal. Michaels received much criticism during the last season too.

This is disheartening because Michaels, aged 79, has been a sports television staple since 1971 and has been commentating on NFL games since 1986. In fact, he also commentated on ‘Monday Night Football’ on ABC from 1986 to 2005, before moving to NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ in 2006. Later on, Michaels signed a three-year deal with Amazon, which was worth $45 million.

Interesting Fact: Al Michaels’s most iconic line was said more than 40 years ago. On Feb. 22, 1980, when the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, it was Michaels’s iconic line that made the game memorable. At the perfect opportunity, he strung together a question that is remembered even today. “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” he exclaimed when the US upset the USSR, 4-3, in the 1980 Olympic hockey semifinals.

But coming back to Michaels, what did fans say about him?

Can continuous hatred for Al Michaels lead to his retirement soon?

Remember the Tampa vs Falcons game of Week 5? In that game too, fans weren’t happy with Al Michaels’ commentary as, during Mike Evans’ thrilling touchdown moment, the announcer gave a very subdued reaction to it. And the same thing took place during Samuel’s TD in 49ers vs Seahawks game. Therefore, the fans slammed him, requesting the announcer to retire or the league to fire him.

• “Fire Al Michaels.”
• “Al Michaels has got to go.”

Well, this reminds us of Troy Aikman, who has developed a reputation for being boring and monotonous in his delivery. Remember how he solely focused on quarterback play and ignored the trenches? A lot of people disliked him for that.

It is obvious that viewers want to feel the excitement and the atmosphere of the game. They want to feel closer to the crowd, but nonchalant commentary seems to be ruining their experience.

• “Al Michaels and Bob Costas both announcing their retirements this year would save the sports community.”

Now, Costas faced criticism a few days ago for appearing biased toward the New York Yankees in their playoff game against the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees were trailing 4-1 with outfielder Aaron Judge on first base and designed hitter Giancarlo Stanton at bat. When a softly hit ground ball to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., it ended any hopes fans had for the Yankees.

“Hit the short. Witt gets the force [at second base]. Can they turn two? Yes, they can, and it’s just the point we were making. It’s not Giancarlo’s fault. A near base hit. Couldn’t beat it out at the other ends. Turns into a double play,” Costas stated, but people noticed a shift in his tone.

• “The downfall of Al Michaels’ commentary needs to be studied.”
• “I can’t stand AI Michaels we need the hornets announcer.”

Do you agree with the criticism Al Michaels has received? Let us know in the comments below.