Unpopular Opinion: I Don’t Know Why People Hate Joe Buck
I just don't get all the hatred toward Fox's premiere play-by-play king, Joe Buck. It is particularly perplexing if you are a New England sports fan. If you love the Patriots and Red Sox, some of your favorite moments on this planet came with Joe Buck at the microphone.
Critics think Buck is a "basic broadcaster," but I think that's exactly the right approach when you are calling sports events with national attention. Buck understands that during the World Series and the Super Bowl, more people who are not diehard fans tend to watch the games. Because of that, he knows that it is helpful to the fans to explain the game in basic terms.
If you've ever watched a game with people who do not understand the sport, you'll notice that you get bombarded with a lot of questions. So, if you are of those diehard fans, you should be THANKING Buck. We've all been in the position of watching a huge game with people who are clueless and asking too many questions during key portions of the game. Buck helps to cut some of that down.
More importantly, I find Buck likable because I equate his voice to some of my life's most memorable moments as a sports fan. When the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in my life, in 2004, it was Joe Buck with the memorable "ground ball to Foulke" call. Even better, it was Buck's voice shouting as the Patriots mounted the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.