Skip to main content

Awful Announcing

Latest Entries

WNBA draws 1 million viewers on USA despite World Cup competition

WNBA viewership on USA Network reached a season high on Tuesday as Caitlin Clark continued to prove herself a viewership draw, even against World Cup competition. Tuesday night’s Toronto Tempo-Indiana Fever matchup on USA averaged 1.00 million viewers, the most-watched WNBA game on cable this season. It is also up 134% from the WNBA’s 2025…

Fox’s outdoor World Cup sets are elevating its tournament coverage

It’s been very easy, and not unreasonable, to spend the first week of this World Cup being annoyed at Fox. The network botched its handling of FIFA’s new hydration breaks in the tournament opener, returning from commercial after play had already resumed, not once, but during both stoppages of the same match. Fans have been…

MLS

World Cup group-stage ratings rival NBA and MLB playoff averages

More viewership data from the 2026 FIFA World Cup is in, and the tournament continues to be a strong draw in the United States. Fox Sports announced that the Argentina-Algeria match on Tuesday averaged 9.08 million viewers, peaking at 10.53 million from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. ET. In Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock, the match…

Argentine presenter resigns after falsely reporting death of Lionel Messi’s father

An Argentine television presenter resigned after falsely reporting on-air that Lionel Messi’s father had died, forcing the Messi family to publicly deny the claim and condemn media speculation about his health. Florencia Peña made the comment during a Thursday broadcast of Argentina’s Luzu TV show “El Show del Verano.” “I don’t want to break bad…

Apple TV is making an entire F1 race weekend free for the first time

For the first time in its inaugural season as the exclusive U.S. home of Formula 1, Apple TV is making a complete race weekend available to anyone who wants to watch. The streamer announced its making the entire Austrian Grand Prix weekend free to U.S. viewers starting Friday, June 26, through Sunday’s race on June…

Lakers PA announcer Lawrence Tanter retires after 43 seasons

One of the most recognizable voices in professional sports is retiring from the position that he has held for over four decades. You may not have seen Lawrence Tanter, but you would know his iconic baritone voice in an instant as the public address announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers from the Showtime era of…

YouTube’s cautious sports strategy is raising questions

Sports executives are increasingly questioning whether YouTube wants to compete aggressively for premium rights, according to a new report, as the company appears more focused on creator-led sports content and occasional deals. The story comes from sources speaking with John Ourand of Puck. “I have a hard time understanding if YouTube is trying to be…

BBC somehow gives Houston glorious mountain range

The 2026 World Cup has turned out to be an awesome experience because of all of the different countries and cultures coming to North America and having a wonderful time. But in the case of the BBC, they may have taken some creative liberties when it comes to celebrating the city of Houston. Houston has…

Linda Cohn shares the ‘SportsCenter’ catchphrase that got her in trouble with ESPN

Boo-yah! En fuego. Master batter? Rich Eisen’s This was SportsCenter podcast series has been an incredible walk down memory lane with famed colleagues from the golden era of ESPN’s flagship show and the recent episode with Linda Cohn was no exception. Cohn is one of the most iconic SportsCenter anchors of all time as the record holder for most…

Colin Cowherd addresses future retirement plans

Colin Cowherd may finally be softening his stance on a potential retirement. The Fox Sports radio host and founder of The Volume once said that he would die on the air and proudly still be giving sports takes at 88 years of age. But in an interview with Outkick, Cowherd may have shown that with…

Will this be the last World Cup on TV?

One week of the World Cup is officially in the books. And for all the complaints over hydration breaks, Fox’s coverage of the event, or whether other networks are giving the tournament requisite attention, one thing remains abundantly clear. The World Cup is a viewership event like no other. Through the first weekend, Fox’s viewership…

Fox finally implements side-by-side ad for World Cup hydration breaks

For the first week of games at the 2026 World Cup, Fox Sports had implemented full-screen advertisements during mandatory hydration breaks. But for Game 28 between Mexico and South Korea, the network finally relented on their full-court commercial press. Before the tournament, hydration breaks were the talk of the media world as fans wondered what…

ESPN utilizing NFL Network studios for World Cup coverage

ESPN is finding a new use case for the Los Angeles studios it recently acquired as part of its acquisition of NFL Media. The Worldwide Leader is setting up shop at the NFL Network studios, located adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, for part of its coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according…

NFL

SportsNet Pittsburgh parts ways with Penguins rinkside reporter Hailey Hunter after three seasons

Penguins rinkside reporter Hailey Hunter is out at SportsNet Pittsburgh after three seasons. The network announced the decision on Wednesday evening. “We are grateful for all of Hailey’s contributions during her time at SportsNet Pittsburgh. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors,” reads a statement from SportsNet Pittsburgh. “We will soon begin…

ESPN re-signs senior writer David Dennis Jr. to multi-year extension

ESPN announced Thursday that it had re-signed senior writer David Dennis Jr. to a multi-year extension. “A leading commentator on the cultural & social impact of sports, Dennis Jr. will continue to be a key voice in [Andscape’s] multi-platform coverage across the NBA, music, Black culture & ESPN shows,” read the caption in an ESPN…

NBA

Stephen A. Smith torches Donald Trump for not denouncing Michelle Obama slur

Stephen A. Smith praised Donald Trump for hosting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, but he torched the president for not kicking Josh Hokit out of the event. Despite controversy leading up to UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, with critics believing it was an example of sports propaganda, the seven-fight card has…

Dan Wetzel blasts Nike’s treatment of Caitlin Clark: ‘One of the great marketing failures’

The Indiana Fever defeated the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night, marking the team’s fourth-straight win after a pedestrian 5-5 start to the 2026 campaign. However, as positive as Indiana’s momentum has been of late, Tuesday’s win, which saw Fever superstar Caitlin Clark go off for a 21-point, 14-assist double-double, was largely overshadowed by the unveiling…