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  • People Don't Like Joe Buck, But Their Reasons Are Silly

    Guest Sam Ekstrom

    By Guest Sam Ekstrom

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    Tuesday night marked the latest occasion where fans united under a common belief and voiced their displeasure toward a common enemy: Joe Buck.

     

    The A-team FOX broadcaster called his 17th All-Star Game in San Diego and, predictably, was met with vitriol from the online public.

    Can we start the rumor #JoeBuck was adopted so there's no legacy excuse to keep him employed?

    — Real_JamesCain (@Real_JamesCain) July 13, 2016

     

    Joe Buck is the Colin Cowherd of announcing #terrible

     

    — Richie Mulbrook (@rmulbrook7) July 13, 2016

     

    Wow Joe Buck SUCKS SO BAD!! Why does he have to announce EVERYTHING?!!! Man my ears r BLEEDING!! He babbles just to hear HIMSELF TALK!!

    — Michael Pieper Jr (@MichaelPieperJr) July 13, 2016

     

    No play-by-play man gets as much grief as Buck, the son of the legendary Jack Buck, who famously called Kirby Puckett’s Game 6

    in 1991 and Kirk Gibson’s one-legged walk-off homer in the 1988 World Series (
    ). The younger Buck was given a full-time job calling NFL games on FOX at the age of 25 and announced his first World Series at 27. Fairly or not, his successful career has always been attributed to the legacy of his father, who helped Buck get experience with the St. Louis Cardinals, beginning at age 22. The elder Buck passed away in 2002.

     

    There’s no doubt Joe’s career got underway earlier because of who his father was, but it’s also tough to deny the chops he had in the craft at a young age.

    the 1996 World Series – “The Yankees are champions of baseball!” – was superbly delivered and is probably considered his first great broadcasting moment. The similarity between his voice then, at 27, and now, at 47, is incredible. Most 20-somethings don’t have pipes that mature.

     

    But through two decades of high-level play-by-play, including four Super Bowls, 18 World Series and now the U.S. Open golf tournament, his approval rating has ostensibly continued to dive, perhaps fueled by social media’s vendetta against him.

     

    Personally, I’ve always been puzzled by it.

     

    I like Buck a lot. And in discussions I’ve had with other respected broadcasters and sportswriters, the feeling that Buck is misunderstood is mutual. Notably, he was defended by Will Leitch in a well-written 2012 piece and was ranked as the top NFL announcer in a study done by Sports on Earth. He was also featured by The Ringer's Bryan Curtis in the recent "Joe Buck Is Underrated" feature. He has great admiration from his peers, which is Clue No. 1 that maybe he’s not 100 percent evil personified – or at least, he’s competent at his job.

     

    Obviously, though, the vast majority of the listening audience are not broadcast critics with a trained listening ear, so I decided to take a Twitter poll during the All-Star Game to see why, exactly, fans dislike Buck.

     

    There were three major themes. The first: He

    for his controversial mooning celebration in the 2004 playoffs. (I’d say it’s safe to assume this reasoning is limited to the Minnesota market.)

     

    @SamEkstrom "that's an absolutely disgusting act by Randy Moss."

     

    — Johnny Rotten (@JohnDN28) July 13, 2016

     

    @SamEkstrom And yet, he goes on to say that Randy Moss mooning Lambeau things is one of the most disgusting things he's ever seen...

    — Chris Schad (@crishad) July 13, 2016

     

    @Luke_Spinman @SamEkstrom I use to love his calls till that one day. Now he drives me nuts. So weird but it is what it is!

     

    — ericthviking (@ericthviking) July 13, 2016

     

    @SamEkstrom must be visceral. I've never liked him and can't objectively tell you why. Maybe it's the Moss line.

     

    — Kyle Bauer (@kbbow16) July 13, 2016

     

    As Awful Announcing wrote in their Buck feature that was released Wednesday, Buck really couldn’t win in that particularly situation. “If Al Michaels had said the same thing, he would have been applauded for calling out Moss’ immaturity,” the Jim Weber article said. “But because of who called the game, somehow Buck ended up receiving the brunt of the criticism simply for chastising a crass gesture.”

     

    My theory on this: Buck either mistook the celebration for something worse or misconstrued its meaning. Keep in mind, broadcasters are often positioned high above the field, far away from the action. If Buck wasn’t looking at his monitor, he may have been screened off by the goalpost and only been clued in by Cris Collinsworth shouting, “…Randy Moss shoots the moon to the fans here in Green Bay!” That could lead a man to think Moss had actually pulled his pants down. Or perhaps Buck thought Moss was imitating some kind of pole dance since he was right by the goalpost.

     

    Either way, it’s OK to believe that Buck jumped the gun and shouldn’t have immediately lashed out and apologized for having the “disgusting act” shown live on the airwaves, but the fact that this call – Buck simply begging for decency – is following him around 11 ½ years later is criminal.

     

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    The second major theme I discovered seems to stem directly from the aforementioned Moss incident. Minnesota fans think Buck is a cheesehead-wearing member of Packers Nation.

     

    @SamEkstrom 'disgusting act...' Plus he's such a GB homer. Not objective.

     

    — Tim Clark (@TimClark65DN) July 13, 2016

     

    @SamEkstrom thinks Aaron Rodgers is a god.

     

    — Paul Spangler (@PJ_Vikes) July 13, 2016

     

    @SamEkstrom I only have one reason and it’s his clear packer bias

     

    — xtina (@xtina1229) July 13, 2016

     

     

    First of all, it’s hard to believe that Buck, who grew up in St. Louis, has any real Green Bay loyalty. More likely, he’s been put in positions to praise the Packers because, well, they’ve been really good for the last 20 years. Giving Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers praise is preaching to the choir – not bias. Favre was and Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer who have engineered dozens of victories and numerous game-winning drives on Buck’s watch. Bias would be if Buck insisted that Eddie Lacy was actually in better shape than Adrian Peterson, which is clearly ridiculous. If Buck is giving the Packers too much love, it’s probably because they deserve it, which no Vikings fan likes to hear.

     

    There are some bad associations Vikings fans might have with Buck in addition to the mooning kerfuffle. He was at the mic for the Vikings-Packers game back in 2010 where Green Bay lambasted Minnesota at the Metrodome and got Brad Childress fired. He narrated the Vikings’ loss at Lambeau Field in 2012, as well as the dismantling at TCF Bank Stadium in 2015. He infamously called the team’s playoff loss to Philadelphia in 2008 and then the 2009 NFC Championship Game with Brett Favre throwing across his body to Tracy Porter.

     

    To reverse things, Buck was also assigned the final six Packers games during their 2010 Super Bowl run – from Week 16 all the way through the title game. Bitter Vikings fans had to endure their greatest enemy winning a Lombardi Trophy with Buck on lead vocals. Had Mother Teresa been broadcasting that six-game stretch, Vikings fans would probably hate her, too.

     

    The funny thing about bias is that it’s almost always perceived by a biased person. A quick search on Twitter reveals that Buck has managed to have a positive AND negative bias towards numerous professional franchises.

     

    The Cubs

    Since when did Joe @Buck become a biased Cubs announcer? He sounded so disappointed

     

    — Jeff (@jboyer76) July 3, 2016

     

    Turned on the Cubs game for 10 minutes, already turned it off because of the very biased Joe Buck

     

    — RayRay (@RayMoney33) July 3, 2016

     

    The Seahawks

     

    @AZCardinals Joe Buck on Fox is such a jerk announcer. Is he sleeping with Pete Carroll? Buck clearly loves the Seahawks and hates Cards.

     

    — Mark Lewis (@TheDesertRat71) January 3, 2016

     

    Fox should make Joe Buck say he hates the Seahawks how he roots for Philadelphia is pathetic   #SEAvsPHI

     

    — phkna (@phkna) December 8, 2014

     

    The Yankees

     

    #JoeBuck loves those #Yankees

     

    — Carol Ann (@thelmam) July 13, 2016

     

    Watching old Yankee postseason highlights and it's amazing how Joe Buck basically just openly hates the Yankees and all NY teams

     

    — Mike Maglietta (@mikemagss11) November 2, 2015

     

    And believe it or not, the Packers!

     

    Hearing Joe Buck call the #USOpen, I still feel like he's gonna say something biased against the Packers at some point. @SconnieProblems

     

    — Allen Halas (@AllenHalas) June 19, 2016

     

    It must be said, Joe Buck absolutely loves the packers. Bias is so clear.

     

    — Michael Halling (@MHalling34) January 11, 2016

     

    So yeah, either Buck is hyperactively switching loyalties on a broadcast-by-broadcast basis, or fans just use Buck as a scapegoat for negative things happening to their beloved squads.

     

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    The third theme that manifested itself may best represent the nation as a whole: Buck is arrogant. The way he’s portrayed, you’d think he began each broadcast by saying, “Alongside Troy Aikman, I’m Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Joe Buck, God’s gift to broadcasting, and I’m married to a former NFL cheerleader.”

     

    Here are a couple responses I got:

     

    @SamEkstrom - He's a suck-up, brown-noser, never impartial (Cards), knows nothing not on cue cards, whiny-bitch,arrogant-prick & dog-killer!

     

    — Dave Brett (@HazyDavy909) July 13, 2016

     

    @Luke_Spinman @SamEkstrom can't stand him. Cocky.

     

    — lou (@jim_louw) July 13, 2016

     

    It’s tough for me to defend a man’s humility when I don’t know his heart. It’s entirely possible Buck is internally cocky. It’s also possible he’s misunderstood, and unfairly juxtaposed against his father, who was perhaps more relatable to the common man than Buck.

     

    While Jack gave off the ‘Aw, shucks’ vibe of an uncle discussing the game in your living room, Joe is more commanding and decisive behind the mic. He’s got a great voice that gives each word a little more weight. But he’s also a minimalist, and early in his career he often elected to keep his voice down in big moments, which may have turned off fans looking for better sound bites and more emotional investment.

     

    Fans equate the simplistic style with disinterest, and by extension, arrogance. The best ammunition Buck haters ever received was the interview he did with Colin Cowherd in 2008 where he jokingly claimed to enjoy watching The Bachelorette more than sports. To a Buck antagonist it may seem like the announcer tries harder to crack wise than call the game. He’d rather analyze the pad level of a squirrel, do a mocking role play of Johnny Manziel or continue to push the informal “I’m Joe, he’s Troy,” first-names-only intro. To a fan, these witty quirks are fun. To an enemy, they add fuel to the fire.

     

    His worst offense? Deadpanning

    of David Tyree’s “Helmet Catch” in Super Bowl XLII. Giants fans are still salty.

     

    Again, there’s a double standard here. Buck’s revered predecessor Pat Summerall, notorious deadpanner (God rest his soul), called

    in Super Bowl XXXVI and sounded like he was playing a game of Monopoly, yet took no heat. Another iconic broadcasting voice, Mr. Vin Scully, is routinely praised for the way he allows the crowd to take over moments, occasionally bowing out for half a minute at a time. Why is the onus on Buck to force enthusiasm?

     

    Perhaps because we now live in an era where broadcasters going bananas make great YouTube mashups (i.e., Gus Johnson, Kevin Harlan,

    ), Buck’s style evidently doesn’t fly with the masses, presumably since he didn't get grandfathered into the less-is-more style. That's a shame.

     

    ---------

     

    Contrary to the allegations of arrogance, Buck is actually quite self-deprecating. He shot this parody in New York two years ago, which acknowledges how fans in the Big Apple apparently hate his guts. He filmed this

    at Target Field in 2014 where he gets “cut off” by Derek Jeter, who feigned annoyance at his presence in the A.L. locker room. He
    several minutes of St. Louis Blues commentary during a guest appearance on their local broadcast, making no effort to pretend he knew how to announce hockey.

     

    The best part of Buck is that he clearly sees the out-of-control criticism and uses it as part of his schtick. Instead of pretending it doesn’t exist, Buck is the first to acknowledge his cult of detractors. Until a recent change, his Twitter bio featured the line, “I don’t hate your team.”

     

    Maybe you think he’s overexposed. Maybe you think he’s privileged. Maybe you hate his beard.

     

    @SamEkstrom he says annoying things and has a weird pube beard.

     

    — josh bjork (@iowa_josh) July 13, 2016

     

     

    But it’s fair to say the general public dislikes Buck for all the wrong reasons when he is actually quite good in his vocation and is continuing to improve. After nearly losing his career to a vocal cord ailment in 2011, Buck seemed to rediscover his passion for broadcasting and has since delivered a handful of memorable calls that have even satisfied some of his critics. He

    to his late father with a well-timed “We’ll see you tomorrow night!” call in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, then rebooted “The Giants win the pennant!” in 2014. He also
    on Percy Harvin’s Super Bowl XLVIII kickoff return and
    of Dustin Johnson’s missed putt to lose the 2015 U.S. Open.

     

    In general, he’s discovered a more satisfying crescendo during games that has him punctuating more big moments than ever before, and critics should give him credit for that, at least.

     

    I can’t make you love Buck’s announcing. That’s a personal preference. I would, however, encourage you to grade him on some realistic criteria, like his broadcasting ability. Is he correctly identifying the right storylines? Is he identifying the ballplayers and pronouncing their names properly? How is he interacting with his color man?

     

    His FOX bosses aren’t keeping him around because he’s Jack Buck’s son; not after 20-plus years. They’re keeping him around because he’s a good play-by-play guy. I’ll leave the mic drop to @FourPuttBogey.

    @SamEkstrom Everyone thinks he hates their teams. He doesn't. Why would he? Being sarcastic ≠ hate. Get over yourselves and enjoy the show.

     

    — Ross (@FourPuttBogey) July 13, 2016

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    Guest Snarky

    Guest Snarky

    Posted

    I agree that he is good at what he does, but I think you're missing the point on bias. My complaint about his bias is that he has a particularly strong affinity for teams\players that have a national "aura." This is strongest in baseball where the national coverage of teams like Yankee's, Red Sox, Cubs, etc. greatly outpace the coverage of small market teams giving him strong preference for those teams and their players. I think this comes from a good place -his love of sports, he seems to really enjoy participating in the national story that is told through sports broadcasting.

     

    However, it drove me crazy back in the oughts when the Twins were annually expelled from the playoffs by the Yankees. I still shudder remembering his effusive praise of Jeter after completing a routine infield play.

     

    National attention is more evenly distributed in the NFL so he doesn't bother me in NFL games as much - but one could imagine how he prefers teams with a national "aura" such as the Packers, Steelers, Patriots.

     

    I think this embrace of the national view goes even to individual players - when Moss was just starting out he was initially viewed pretty negatively by the national media- influencing Buck's view of the "disgusting act." Whereas Bryce Harper seems to be more viewed as a lovable scamp. There may be other forms of bias tied up in this as well.

     

    I don't think Buck is unique in this regard, just his bias towards the national story line is stronger than most. It usually serves to improve the game watching experience when he is calling, but occasionally is maddeningly distracting.

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    Guest Nfc
    I used to hate Joe Buck, now he's kinda growing on me, which angers me. I feel like he's only bad when he's calling big plays (particularly in baseball). But still, not my favorite.
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    Guest Frank
    First comment by "snarky" nailed it. It's so easy to see. Perhaps your own pro-buck bias interfered with your analysis. By trying to be "fair and impartial" you became anything but.
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