NFL fans slam Al Michaels, 81, for making Packers-Bears ‘unwatchable’ – days after he refused to retire
Legendary announcer Al Michaels has once again felt the wrath of NFL fans after his latest ‘underwhelming’ call in the Packers-Bears playoff showdown.
Michaels, 81, confirmed earlier this week that he will not retire as many had predicted, instead vowing to continue for another season on Amazon Prime.
He has received continued criticism this season for his lack of enthusiasm in the booth, and that was the case again on Sunday as the playoffs got underway.
Michaels called Christian Watson’s early touchdown for the Packers in Chicago – a huge moment in the NFL season – but many claimed his call did not match the size of the moment.
‘Rolling… throwing… caught,’ he told the millions of viewers on Prime. ‘And, does he get into the end zone? He does. Christian Watson crosses the goalline for a touchdown.’
Fans immediately took to social media, with one writing: ‘Al Michaels is making this game borderline unwatchable. Just throw in the towel man.’
Iconic NFL commentator Al Michaels is returning for another year with Prime Video in 2026
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Another added: ‘Dude I cannot believe Al Michaels is back for next season,’ while a third said: ‘Al Michaels is one of the best to ever do it, but he needs to retire man. Doesn’t bring the energy anymore, ruins big moments frequently nowadays.’
A fourth summed up his thoughts by posting: ‘It’s time for Al Michaels to hang it up, man. A team scores a touchdown in the playoffs and he announces it like he’s saying good morning to a coworker in the hallway. I’ve seen people more excited to find extra fries at the bottom of the bag.’
Some disagreed, though, with one viewer claiming: ‘Al Michaels is awesome. Keep going Al.’
Earlier this week, Michaels addressed his future amid much speculation over whether he would hang up the mic at the age of 81.
‘First of all, I feel great,’ he told Sports Business Journal. ‘Everyone at Amazon has been fantastic and I love working with this group.
‘I’ve been looking at this year one year at a time and as long as I feel I’m at the top of my game, I’d like to continue.’
Michaels has been the lead game-caller for Prime Video’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ since 2022, but has been calling prime-time NFL games for a staggering 40 years.
In total, he has worked as a play-by-play sportscaster for over 50 years with ABC and NBC as well as Prime.
The broadcasting great is most famous for his call of the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics and Game 3 of the 1989 World Series, which was interrupted by an earthquake.
Back in 2023, Michaels addressed the criticism of his perceived lack of excitement in the booth, admitting it isn’t his style to ‘scream and holler’.
‘Look, sometimes I’ll take some s***,’ Michaels said. ‘People say, “He didn’t get excited enough.” What do you want me to do? Scream, holler, yell the game? That ain’t me. That ain’t (Joe) Buck, that ain’t (Jim) Nantz.
‘I can’t pay attention to anti-social media. We live in a country with 330 million people. And if eight people rip you on social media, I’m going, “huh?” Now anybody sitting in a basement has a platform.
‘You can’t let things like that distress you. I’ve been doing this for so long. And I wouldn’t be here at this point still doing a major package if I was doing it the wrong way.’
