Joe Buck Revealed as Masked Singer, Turns Into Bizarre Farewell to Fox
“Eleven years ago, I had a paralyzed vocal cord. So to come out here… and kind of throw my nerves to the wind… I was like, ‘Hey, you know, why not? Let’s give it a shot.'”
Back in January, who would have predicted that the last time Joe Buck appeared on Fox would be on… The Masked Singer?
Hours after ESPN officially announced that Buck and Troy Aikman were the network’s new broadcast team for Monday Night Football, the play-by-play personality revealed himself as the mystery singer under the golden, magnificently horned helmet after Ram was eliminated on Wednesday night’s show.
One of the judges, Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet, guessed that Buck was the man behind the ram helmet, based on the masked singer appearing to know him. Stonestreet and Buck worked together on Fox’s Domino Masters, so there was some familiarity and friendship there.
Host Nick Cannon asked Buck what made him want to perform on the show, a question many viewers (and sports fans who might not watch The Masked Singer, but learned of Buck’s appearance on social media) likely wondered themselves.
“Eleven years ago, I had a paralyzed vocal cord,” Buck said. “So to come out here 11 years later and kind of throw my nerves to the wind, and sing in front of this great audience, I was like, ‘Hey, you know, why not? Let’s give it a shot.'”
After Buck explained some of the clues toward his identity during his two-episode stint on the show, he broke into another rendition of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” for his send-off performance.
Was that a message to Fox Sports executives, who Buck and Aikman have indicated didn’t show them much love during recent contract negotiations? Maybe. Or perhaps it was a plea to sports fans and viewers, who haven’t always embraced Buck during his 25-plus years at Fox as the lead voice of the NFL and World Series.
Buck has always been interested in stepping out into mainstream culture and showing he can do more than call sports play-by-play. So appearing on The Masked Singer can’t be a complete surprise. Plus, he’s a Fox company man. He’s essentially been the face — and voice — of Fox Sports for more than two decades.
Obviously, that’s no longer the case. And what would have been a fun offseason diversion instead turned into a strange, though unspoken, flamboyant goodbye to Fox after a nearly 30-year run. Sports media and broadcasting in 2022 has been amazing.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
Devin McCourty Joining Football Night in America on NBC
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity from NBC Sports to learn from great individuals, chase new goals and provide viewers with my thoughts on the biggest games every week.”
NBC Sports has enhanced its roster of football analysts with the signing of Devin McCourty. He will join the cast of Football Night in America leading up to each week’s broadcast of Sunday Night Football.
McCourty is a three-time Super Bowl champion and played his entire 13-year career as a defensive back with the New England Patriots, and has the record for most career playoff games started by a defensive player.
“It’s rare when you have the opportunity to add a three-time Super Bowl-winner to your team, and we’re excited to welcome Devin McCourty to Football Night following an incredible NFL career,” said Sam Flood, executive producer and president of production at NBC Sports. “Devin is a leader in every sense of the word, both on and off the field, and his dynamic personality and passion for the game will be a great addition to the show.”
McCourty’s twin brother, Jason, currently works on the cast of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, and the two co-hosted a podcast together while playing called Double Coverage. Devin was a guest host on Good Morning Football earlier in the season and also contributed to pregame coverage on The NFL Today and NFL Draft content for CBS Sports.
“I’m excited to be a rookie on the best team in America again,” McCourty said in a statement. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity from NBC Sports to learn from great individuals, chase new goals and provide viewers with my thoughts on the biggest games every week.”
Glen Kuiper is out as the television voice of the Oakland A’s. The team and NBC Sports California made the announcement yesterday following an internal review of an incident on air earlier this month in which the broadcaster appeared the say the n-word on accident.
“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,” a spokesperson from the regional sports network said in a statement. “We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.”
Kuiper issued a statement of his own, affirming that what people are calling a racial slur was actually “a very unfortunate mispronunciation.” He said that he was talking to fast in describing a day at the Negro League Museum in Kansas City.
“Please know that racism is in no way a part of me; it never has been and it never will be,” he wrote in a statement shared with reporters. “I appreciate the Negro League Museum president Bob Kendrick and Oakland A’s great Dave Stewart’s public support of me in light of this. I am an honest, caring, kind, honorable, respectful husband and father who would never utter a disparaging word about anybody. Those who know me best know this about me.”
He has been the A’s primary play-by-play voice since 2006. He added that he is astonished NBC did nto consider that before making their final decision.
“I wish that the Oakland A’s and NBC Sports would have taken into consideration my 20-year career, my solid reputation, integrity and character, but in this current environment, traits like integrity and character are no longer considered. I will always have trouble understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination, but I know something better is in my future.”
Glen Kuiper closed his remarks by thanking fans and his supporters.
“I love the game of baseball and I love being a broadcaster, and I love the Bay Area community. I hope I will be remembered for that.”
The sports media was celebrated Monday night in New York City. The 44th annual Sports Emmys ceremony took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp acknowledged that the ceremony looked a little different. Out of respect for the WGA and their writers’ strike, many of the show’s scripted elements had been eliminated.
“The business challenges of the changing media landscape are like none we’ve seen before,” he told those in attendance. “And yet, the individual economics of making a career in our industry — starting out in our industry — can be impossible to square. Between these two realities, the generation coming up needs our industry to sow a field of common ground, not scorched earth.”
Awards were handed out in 47 categories. Among them was a lifetime achievement award, which was accepted by HBO’s Bryant Gumbel.
ESPN led the way amongst the networks, taking home thirteen trophies. Some of its biggest wins included Best Live Sports Series for Monday Night Football, Best Studio Analyst for Ryan Clark, Best Sports Event Analyst for Peyton Manning and Best Play-by-Play for Mike Breen.
FOX came in second amongst the networks with nine Sports Emmys. FOX NFL Sunday won Best Weekly Studio Show, but most of the network’s big wins were connected to coverage of the FIFA World Cup last fall.
The World Cup and the 2022 Winter Olympics were the big event winners. Coverage of the events netted three awards for FOX and NBC respectively.
