Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were forced to wear masks while calling the “Sunday Night Football” game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles on NBC, and they didn’t seem to enjoy it.
At the beginning of the telecast, Michaels explained that they were “compelled” to wear masks during the game by Santa Clara County officials.
Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth asked to wear masks for NBC broadcast by Santa Clara county officials pic.twitter.com/jP43I5aXJE
— The IC Workstation (@ClippelBoardy) October 5, 2020
After the game, Michaels couldn’t wait to get rid of his mask.
“That’s it, folks. We’ll get rid of these things as soon as we possibly can,” he said.
Al Michaels, in the booth with Cris Collinsworth, expressed frustration tonight after being required by local California Santa Clara county officials to wear masks on set pic.twitter.com/0A02nVELJV
— Hocus Focus (@ImTheRightThing) October 5, 2020
Michaels also joked during the broadcast that he and Collinsworth would be rewarded with lollipops for wearing their masks like good little boys.
The San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Clara County have had among the strictest restrictions in the country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco did not open for indoor dining until last week.
Michaels and Collinsworth’s job is to sound as good as possible while announcing a game for millions of viewers, which helps explain part of their frustration. Some people will find the insistence of making announcers who are hundreds of feet from the game wear masks to be excessive. Others will view it prudent and responsible.
As we know, the masks have become a highly sensitive and political topic within society.
